City of St. Louis Scores 100 on Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index for 11th Year in a Row

The Human Rights Campaign has released its annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI) scorecard, a nationwide evaluation of 506 cities on how inclusive their laws, policies, and services are for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) people. 2022 marks the 11th year the City of St. Louis has scored a 100 -- the highest ranking possible.

“St. Louis has a long, storied history of fighting for civil rights, and that includes for the protection of our LGBTQIA+ community,” said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. “We are thankful to the Human Rights Campaign for this distinction, and to all our community members who continue to make their voices heard.”

Human Rights Campaign’s MEI highlights the many vital aspects of being an LGBTQIA+ inclusive city, including established non-discrimination laws for sexuality and gender identity, inclusive health benefits for transgender employees, and benefits for same-sex domestic partners. The City also received bonus points for having elected and appointed LGBTQIA+ leaders, providing support to people living with HIV/AIDS, and for pushing back against restrictive state laws.

In June of 2022, Mayor Jones signed an Executive Order establishing the City’s first LGBTQIA+ Advisory Board to review current policies and practices to make St. Louis even more inclusive and welcoming, and appointed a diverse group of members to ensure as many voices as possible were at the table.

The full Municipal Equality Index report for St. Louis and other cities can be found at hrc.org/mei. Media inquiries regarding the MEI can be directed to the Human Rights Campaign at press@hrc.org.