Worcester gets perfect score in LGBT equality
The Human Rights Commission (HRC), the nation’s leading civil rights organization representing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, has given Worcester a perfect score of 100 in a rating system that measures LGBT inclusion in municipal law and policy.
Worcester joins Boston and Cambridge in receiving a score of 100. Thirty-eight U.S. cities received perfect scores, according to HRC. The city's score climbed dramatically in just one year, which City Manager Edward Augustus noted in the the HRC's full Municipal Equality Index 2014 report.
"I am deeply proud of the city's perfect score this year, as it comes after months of hard work and community-wide support," Augustus said in the report.
When Augustus took office in January, the score was an "unacceptable" 55, according to Augustus. This prompted him to meet with local advocacy groups, the city's Human Rights Commission, and key personnel to create a corrective plan.
Changes include banning discrimination in city employment, ensuring equal medical benefits for transgender employees, and ensuring equal family leave. The city also forbade discrimination in awarding city contracts, and added an LGBT liaison in Augustus' office as well as the police department.
The scores are based on 47 criteria under six categories, including the existence of non-discrimination laws; relationship recognition; employment policies; inclusiveness in city services; law enforcement and municipal leadership on matters of equality.
The Massachusetts average is 78, compared with a national average of 59, making the Bay State a leader in supporting LGBT through municipal policies, according to HRC. Other Bay State city scores include: Amherst (69); Lowell (53); Northampton (70); Provincetown (70), and Springfield (64).
“Massachusetts has consistently been a national leader on (LGBT) equality and these scores show that the Commonwealth’s communities continue to offer some of the best places in the country for (LGBT) people to live, learn and love,” said KC Coredini, executive director of the advocacy organization MassEquality.
Image source: Freedigitalphotos.net
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