The City of Long Beach received a perfect score this year on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index, which measures the level of inclusion LGBTQ+ communities have achieved in different cities.
“It is an honor for our city to be recognized for our unwavering commitment to the LGBTQ+ community,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement. “We are proud of our efforts and completely committed to ensuring Long Beach remains a place where everyone—regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity—is welcome.”
Long Beach has received a perfect score on the Municipal Equality Index ten years in a row.
The city received full marks in the five criteria for the Municipal Equality Index, which evaluates non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ equality.
According to UCLA’s Williams Institute, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro area has a LGBTQ+ population of 523,000 people, which makes up 5.1% of the total population.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, a total of 110 cities received a perfect score on the 2021 Municipal Equality Index. The average score this year was 67.
Although the total score for a city cannot go over 100, Long Beach also received 11 bonus points, two of which were for having “openly LGBTQ elected or appointed municipal leaders.”
“As an openly LGBTQ+ person, I’m incredibly grateful for the work Long Beach has done to become the inclusive city we are today, and for our diverse, welcoming LGBTQ+ community,” Garcia said.
