Miami-Beach-Scores-a-Perfect-100
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov
OFFICE OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS, Tel: 305.673.7575 PRESS RELEASE
Tonya Daniels, E-mail: tonyadaniels@miamibeachfl.gov
Melissa Berthier, E-mail: melissaberthier@miamibeachfl.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 8, 2018
Miami Beach Scores a Perfect 100 on
HRC’s 2018 Municipal Equality Index
— City Earns Top Honors for Pro-Equality Leadership —
Miami Beach, FL — For a sixth consecutive year, the City of Miami Beach has earned
a perfect score of 100 points on the 2018 Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality
Index (MEI) – placing the urban island in the top tier of communities across the nation
that, through action and policy, have paved the way in the fight for fairness.
"I am proud that our City embraces actions and not merely words in pursuit of LGBTQ
equality, but I look more forward to a day when inclusivity need not be recognized or
rated – because it's universally expected and, simply, the right thing to do. Until that day,
we are proud to lead!” said Mayor Dan Gelber.
The report on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) equality in America’s
cities by the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ civil rights
organization, rated 506 cities across the nation, including 20 cities in Florida. The City
was recognized as one of 97 cities to offer equal benefits to same, or different-sex,
domestic partners of City employees and their legal dependents; one of 147 cities to
offer transgender-inclusive health benefits; and one of 78 municipalities to receive a
perfect score. The average score nationally for cities selected for rating by the MEI was
58 out of 100 points.
“We’re consistently building on our initiatives year after year and sending a clear
message to all: the LGBTQ community is not only welcome in our City, but they are an
integral part of who we are. A win for one minority is a win for all minorities,” added
Commissioner Michael Gongora.
This year, MEI introduced new criteria for judging including all-gender single occupancy
facilities and youth bullying prevention policies and services – both of which have been
recently enacted by the City of Miami Beach. The Anti-Defamation League’s No Place
for Hate initiative is active in all six public schools across the city and focuses on
fostering harmony amongst diverse groups; thus, creating a safe and inclusive
environment for children to learn. Further creating an environment of mutual respect, the
City Commission passed an ordinance in June 2017 implementing gender-neutral
bathrooms at all City-owned buildings and facilities.
The 2018 index finds that cities across the country, including those in Florida, continued
to prove that municipalities act to support equality for LGBTQ people, even where states
and the federal government have failed to do so. The full report, including detailed
scorecards for every city and a searchable database, is available online at
www.hrc.org/mei.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign,
America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC and the HRC Foundation
strive to end discrimination against LGBTQ citizens and realize a nation that achieves
fundamental fairness and equality for all.
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