Florida Scores Lowest In LGBTQ Equality Human Rights: Report

FLORIDA — The state of Florida lags behind the city of St. Petersburg with LGBTQ protections, according to Equality Federation Institute's seventh annual State Equality Index score.

St. Petersburg scored a 100 on the Human Rights Campaign's annual Municipal Equality Index for the seventh year in a row in 2020. However in the SEI report released Monday, Florida joins 24 other states that score in the lowest category.

The SEI’s assessment of statewide LGBTQ-related legislation and policies in the areas of parenting laws and policies, religious refusal and relationship recognition laws, non-discrimination laws and policies, hate crime and criminal justice laws, youth-related laws and policies and health and safety laws and policies has placed Florida in the “High Priority to Achieve Basic Equality”.

“The SEI is a critical tool for assessing equality in Florida and our state’s competitiveness as we seek to attract and retain the best and brightest,” Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith said. “Our score shows the Florida Legislature where it must do better. Critical opportunities remain, and in these times of crisis, our state cannot afford to leave anyone unprotected from discrimination or any competitive advantage on the table. Florida ought to be a place of equity and opportunity for all.”

Florida does not support LGBTQ housing, employment, school anti-bullying, education, transgender health care, public accommodations and anti-conversion therapy, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

• The other states that joined Florida in this low ranking are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

• “Working Toward Innovative Equality” is the highest ranking in the SEI categories: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

• Two states are in the category “Solidifying Equality”: Iowa and Virginia.
• Four states are in the category “Building Equality”: Kansas, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Wisconsin.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, in 2020, 185 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced by 35 states, while four were passed into law. Florida republican lawmakers submitted a batch of anti-LGBTQ bills that included walk back local ordinances that protect LGBTQ employees, legalize the controversial practice of "gay conversion therapy" and imprison doctors for up to 15 years if they provide certain transition-related medical care to transgender youth, ABC News reported. None of the proposed bills were passed in Florida in 2020.

This SEI report comes as more than 40 state legislatures and the District of Columbia have opened their 2021 sessions.

Related Story:

• St. Pete Scores A Perfect 100 On National LGBT Index Equality