If the state or county has a comprehensive and inclusive non-discrimination law that applies within the city limits, a city may conclude it is an inefficient use of resources to pass a local non-discrimination ordinance. For that reason, so long as the protections of a state or county law apply within city limits, the city effectively has such protections, and the state or county law will earn the city points.

If there is no state or county law, but the city has passed an ordinance of its own volition, the city will receive credit for those non-discrimination protections. However, where laws exist at both the city and the state (or county) level, the city will not receive double (or triple) points—the maximum points in this section are capped at 30.

A 3-point deduction is applied for protections that contain carve-outs prohibiting individuals from using facilities consistent with their gender identity. Up to six points will be deducted for religious exemptions that single out sexual orientation and/or gender identity in.

Non-Discrimination in City Employment:
Cities can adopt internal hiring policies that prohibit employment discrimination (including hiring, promotions, termination, and compensation) on the basis of sexual orientation (6 points) and gender identity or expression (6 points).

It is a fundamental principle of fairness that an employee should be judged on his or her ability to perform the responsibilities of a position, and not by who they are or whom they love. A state-level non-discrimination law or a local non-discrimination ordinance alone is not sufficient to earn these points—personnel policies must enumerate sexual orientation and gender identity in order for the city to receive credit.

Transgender-Inclusive Healthcare Benefits:
Cities, like other employers, provide health benefits to their employees, but some employees routinely have critical and medically necessary treatment excluded from the health care options they are offered. Transgender employees are routinely denied health care coverage for gender-affirming care such as hormone replacement therapy, gender confirmation surgery, and other medically necessary care.
Municipalities must provide at least one health insurance plan (6 points) that provides coverage for transgender health care needs (gender confirmation surgeries, hormone replacement therapy, and other gender-affirming care). The policy must affirmatively include gender-affirming care; a lack of exclusion is not sufficient for an award of points because this care is routinely presumed to be not covered.

City Contractor Non-Discrimination Ordinance:
Cities who take fair workplaces seriously also require city contractors to have inclusive non-discrimination policies. An equal opportunity ordinance, as these are sometimes known, requires city contractors to adopt non-discrimination policies that prohibit adverse employment actions on the basis of sexual orientation (3 points) and gender identity or expression (3 points).

Inclusive Workplace:
This section assesses whether a municipality has LGBTQ-specific programming to attract LGBTQ applicants and promote diversity in the workplace. Cities will receive credit if they have any one of the following: an LGBTQ employee resource group open to all city employees, LGBTQ-inclusive diversity training for all city staff, or a recruitment program that actively advertises available positions to the LGBTQ community.

Human Rights Commission:
A Human Rights Commission will be worth 5 points if its purpose is largely or entirely educational. These commissions may hold community discussions, screen movies, present panels, take public comment, advise the city on matters of diversity and inclusion, develop policies and strategies for making the city more inclusive, and undertake other similar types of endeavors.

Enforcement of Non-Discrimination Ordinance by Human Rights Commission
Where, in addition to the functions listed above, a Human Rights Commission has the authority to conciliate, issue a right to sue letter, or otherwise enforce non-discrimination protections, that commission will earn two bonus points.

LGBTQ Liaison to City Executive:
Similarly, an LGBTQ liaison to the Mayor or City Manager’s office (5 points) is responsible for looking at city policies and services through an LGBTQ lens and speaking up when a policy or service might exclude LGBTQ people. This position is also known to be a friendly ear to constituents who want to bring LGBTQ-related issues to the city government but are fearful they might be dismissed or misunderstood.

LGBTQ Police Liaison or Task Force:
An LGBTQ police liaison (10 points) can serve as an important bridge between the community and law enforcement. The liaison is an advocate for fair and respectful enforcement of the law as well as an officer that the community can rely upon to appropriately respond to sensitive issues.

Reported 2017 Hates Crimes Statistics to the FBI:
Respectful and fair enforcement includes responsible reporting of hate crimes, including for hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity, to the FBI (12 points). Such reporting demonstrates law enforcement’s attention to these crimes and ensures that the larger law enforcement community is able to accurately gauge the scope and responses to them.

Leadership’s Public Position on LGBT Equality:
This rates city leadership (on a scale of 0 to 5 points) on its public statements on matters of equality, particularly where the city leadership pushes for equality in the face of substantial adversity. For example, a city would be awarded points if the city council passed a resolution in support of a state level non-discrimination bill—while this is not something the city can legislate, it is a powerful statement of the city’s principles nonetheless. The level of support for pro-equality legislation is also reflected in this section.

Leadership’s Pro-Equality Legislative or Policy Efforts:
This rates the persistence of the city leadership in pursuing legislation or policies that further equality (on a scale of 0 to 3 points). Note that even small or unsuccessful efforts are recognized in this category, and that these efforts may be heavily weighted if the city’s political environment is not conducive to passing pro-equality legislation.