Palm Springs & Rancho Mirage earn perfect score on city index measuring LGBTQ equality
Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage received perfect scores on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Municipal Equality Index, which measures how city laws and policies benefit t local LGBTQ communities, city officials announced today.
Palm Springs, which recently made history as the first city to elect an entirely LGBTQ city council, and Rancho Mirage were among 506 cities assessed by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and among 78 to receive a 100-point score.
Non-discrimination laws, openly LGBTQ elected officials, services for those living with HIV or AIDS, and trans-inclusive health benefits for city employees were common among the cities that earned perfect scores.
“The city of Palm Springs is a unique and wonderfully diverse community and we pride ourselves on welcoming everyone,” City Manager David Ready said. “Thanks to the city council’s strong commitment to equality, Palm Springs has become a nationwide leader and role model for other municipalities
to follow when it comes to protecting the rights of our LGBTQ community.”
City officials said Palm Springs received bonus points for having openly LGBTQ elected city leaders, services for LGBTQ youth, LGBTQ homeless citizens and elder citizens with HIV/AIDS, and providing city employee domestic partner benefits.
Elsewhere in the Coachella Valley, Cathedral City and Palm Desert earned scores of 94. Elsewhere in Riverside County, Riverside, Moreno Valley and Corona received scores of 65, 60 and 52, respectively.
Click here to view the full report.
Download the KESQ & CBS Local 2 app on iTunes or Google Play for up-to-the-minute breaking news alerts & more
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
Find us on Facebook: KESQ News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2
Follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates: @KESQ & @Local2
We’re on Instagram! @KESQ_News_Channel_3 & @CBSLocal2
Noticias en español: Telemundo 15
