City leadership who wish to have their city’s laws and policies assessed according to MEI standards can send an email to The MEI Team with all of the relevant documentation needed to justify credit for each criterion. To receive points, any criterion listed must have relevant documentation (the municipal ordinance, city policy, or other information sufficient to demonstrate the presence of the criteria) attached. To view the 2022 MEI Standards for Credit, click here.

To submit a municipality to be rated, please email mei@hrc.org with the subject line Self Submit: [City, State]. Please include the following information in your email, and attach documentation of proof for each item on the scorecard in the following file formats: .jpg, .pdf, .png, .ppt, Word, or website URL.

City*

State*

Contact Name*

Contact Email*

Section I: Non-Discrimination Laws

A. City prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in:

• Employment
• Housing
• Public accommodations

B. City prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in:

• Employment
• Housing
• Public accommodations

Flex: All-Gender Single Occupancy Facilities

• Yes
• No

Flex: Protects Youth From Conversion Therapy

• Yes
• No

Section II. Municipality as Employer

A. City has a policy of non-discrimination for its employees on the basis of:

• Sexual orientation
• Gender identity

B. City has transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits for its employees:

• Yes
• No

C. City requires all contractors to have a non-discrimination ordinance or policy on the basis of:

• Sexual orientation
• Gender identity

D. City provides an inclusive workplace for LGBTQ+ employees in:

• LGBTQ-inclusive recruitment
• LGBTQ-inclusive diversity training
• LGBTQ+ employee resource group

Flex: Domestic Partner Benefits for Same- and Different-Sex Couples for City Employees:

• Yes
• No

Section III. Municipal Services

A. Human Relations Commission (County or City)

• Yes
• No

B. Enforcement Mechanism of NDO by the Human Relations Commission (County or City):

• Yes
• No

C. LGBTQ+ Liaison to the City Executive's Office

• Yes
• No

Flex: Youth Prevention Policy for Youth-Facing City Services:

• Sexual orientation
• Gender identity

Flex: City Provides/Supports Services For Vulnerable Populations:

• LGBTQ+ Youth
• LGBTQ+ People Experiencing Homelessness
• LGBTQ+ Older Adults
• People Who Are Living with HIV or AIDS
• Transgender Community

Section IV. Law Enforcement

• Police LGBTQ+ Task Force or Liaison
• Police Reported 2019 Hate Crimes Data to the FBI

Section V. Leadership on LGBTQ+ Equality

A. Leadership's public position on LGBTQ+ equality:

• Please describe statements that the city leadership has made regarding LGBTQ+ equality (for and/or against), and detail any recent local legislative efforts that have been made regarding LGBTQ+ issues.
• Participation in pride
• Partnership with LGBTQ+ advocacy groups
• Other engagement with LGBTQ+ issues

B. Leadership's pro-equality legislative or policy efforts:

• Please describe how actively the city has been pursuing pro-equality legislation or policies. This includes ordinances introduced, whether passed or not, city policies, as well as pro-equality city council resolutions or proclamations.

Flex: Openly LGBTQ+ elected or appointed municipal leaders:

• Please list their names and titles

Flex: City Tests Limits of Restrictive State Law:

• If a city resides in a state with a preemption law, please describe an example of the city pushing back against the restrictive state law

*Please provide this information

Thank you for recognizing the importance and power of municipal law, and working to effect change in your community. If you have questions about this form or the MEI in general, please contact us at mei@hrc.org. If you've submitted the appropriate supporting documentation, we will respond to your request for evaluation as soon as possible.