By Frank Maradiaga
Miami Beach scored a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index. The city’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Business Enhancement Committee will announce the score at an afternoon reception at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens Thursday.
The index rated the nation’s 50 state capitals, the 150 largest cities, and other regions based on how inclusive city laws and policies were towards the LGBT community. The MEI was not meant to rank how welcoming a particular city felt to LGBT people, but an examination of city services.
In the 2013 HRC report, the average MEI score was 57, decidedly putting Miami Beach above the average.
Of the 15 Florida cities ranked last year, Miami Beach was not originally not included in the 2013 HRC report.
According to the Herald’s Steve Rothaus, the HRC had kept MB off the list because it didn’t meet certain judging criteria.
GLBT Business Enhancement Committee then started the process of submitting a score card themselves on behalf of the city. The results will be officially announced just before the kick off of Pride Week.
Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy Morales boasted about the score in a letter to the commission: “This score establishes that our City is a model of progressive politics and can be held up
as the standard for other cities around the state and country”
Local cities also rated included Miami (67), Hialeah (58), Miami Shores (56), Fort Lauderdale (77), and Wilton Manors (82).
“The City’s score also lets gay, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people from all over the world know that Miami Beach is still the best place for them to live, work, and play,” said Morales.
