A Perfect LGBTQ Equality Score Goes To St. Pete For 8th Year In A Row

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — St. Petersburg lands a perfect 100 score on the Human Rights Campaign's annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI), a city of St. Pete news release said.

The cityreceived its first perfect score in 2013, and since has continued with its score of 100 for LGBTQ inclusion in municipal law, police and services, city officials said.

“I am incredibly proud of how far we have come as a city," Mayor Rick Kriseman said. "Receiving a perfect score on the Municipal Equality Index is a reflection not just of our values, but of important policy advancements as well. It is a beacon, recruiting people and businesses to our city. Even though my time as mayor is coming to an end, I remain committed to this work and ensuring that LGBTQ residents and visitors forever view St. Pete as a city of opportunity, where the sun shines on us all. I want to say a particular word of thanks to everyone at the Human Rights Campaign for this program. I also want to thank Jim Nixon and my city team for their hard work on this. The work of building an inclusive city never ends, and I look forward to celebrating another perfect score next year.”

Under Mayor Kriseman's leadership, he has built a city where LGBTQ+ individuals are not just tolerated but celebrated, and we are a better city for it, according to Jim Nixon, LGBTQ Liaison of St. Pete. He said over the last eight years, the LGBTQ+ community has celebrated wins and losses.

"This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Municipal Equality Index, the nation’s premier benchmarking tool for municipal officials, policy makers and business leaders to understand how well cities across the nation are embodying LGBTQ+ inclusion in their laws, policies, and services," Joni Madison, interim president of Human Rights Campaign Foundation, said.

Tampa also received a perfect 100 score.

For more information on the HRC’s MEI, visit www.hrc.org/mei. For more information on the city’s LGBTQ relations, visit www.stpete.org/lgbt.