The Human Rights Campaign has highlighted the City of Richmond as a success story in it’s latest Municipal Equality Index.
The index scores indicate how welcoming communities are to LGBTQ people. Richmond received a score of 97 -- 40 points more than it did two years ago. This is the second year in a row Richmond has beat out other Virginia cities in the Index.
In a statement, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said he would continue efforts to make Richmond a more inclusive community.
“I’m proud of this achievement and excited to see how else we can ensure Richmond’s city policies, services and code reflect the inclusive community we are,” Stoney said.
The City of Richmond made the biggest leap of any city after Stoney took office in 2017. In their report, the Human Rights Campaign highlighted Stoney’s efforts to pass local nondiscrimination laws, create a Human Rights Commission and give transgender-inclusive healthcare coverage to city employees.
These policies have been praised by pro-LGBTQ organizations.
“Richmond’s pro-equality leaders continue to send a strong message across Virginia about the importance of ensuring our gay and transgender neighbors can live, work and play free from discrimination,” said James Parrish, the executive director of Equality Virginia.