Cities Lead the Way for LGBTQ+ Equality

Working on the Municipal Equality Index is a full-circle experience for me. In the mid-2010s, I had the privilege of serving the people of Providence, Rhode Island, as executive director of the city’s Human Relations Commission. One of my big projects every year was making sure that Providence scored a 100 on the MEI, and also earned every single bonus point possible — a very tall order! We collaborated across departments and with dozens of people, and it was worth it because the MEI gave us real and concrete things that we could do to signal to the LGBTQ+ community that the city was safe and affirming, and valued all of the wonderful ways that our community makes the city better. 

Local government in many ways is the most consequential. Mayors, city managers, town councils, and countless other local elected officials across the country work day in and day out to build thriving communities, from filling potholes to attracting business. They’re motivated by the data and by what works, and the MEI gives specific, targeted and meaningful ways that local governments in all 50 states can make life just a little bit better for LGBTQ+ people. 

Unfortunately, in 2025, many cities’ hands are increasingly bound when it comes to implementing these best-practice policies. Beginning with pre-emption bills across the South in the late 2010s (something detailed in our companion State Equality Index), state lawmakers have taken control away from the elected officials in cities and centralized it in statehouses and state legislatures — many of which are unfairly gerrymandered. And the outright removal of gender identity from Iowa’s civil rights code just this year shows their ultimate goal. You can’t count out local leaders, though. They find ways to innovate.

Each year, we select one city that exemplifies the spirit of the MEI to launch the report’s newest update. From St. Louis, Missouri defending its inclusive non-discrimination ordinance in the face of hostility from their statehouse to Tempe, Arizona, and its mayor standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a local business threatened over hosting drag shows, there’s always a place that distinguishes itself with its work to welcome LGBTQ+ people. This year, Salt Lake City fits that bill perfectly, and I traveled there with our team to show them our appreciation. 

When the Utah Legislature and its governor banned the display of the Pride flag on state and local property in March 2025, the mayor and council moved quickly to adopt four new official city flags that could be proudly flown at City Hall. 

It took courage to thumb their noses at the state’s overreach, but they did it, because they knew that the message it sent was important. Combined with a long history of sticking up for LGBTQ+ people, Salt Lake City models what it means to be a supportive community. In a year that highlights the difficulties our community faces in the middle of an anti-LGBTQ+, and particularly anti-transgender, wave of rhetoric, cities show the way.

Learn more at hrc.org/mei.