2019 Municipal Equality Index for City of Dubuque Copyrighted
January 6, 2020
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 7.
ITEM TIT LE: 2019 Municipal Equality I ndex for City of Dubuque
SUM MARY: City Manager transmitting information on the City of
Dubuque's final score on the Human Rights Campaign's
2019 Municipal Equality Index (MEI).
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
2019 Municipal Equality Index Ranking-MVM Memo City Manager Memo
Staff Memo Staff Memo
City of Dubuque 2019 MEI Ranking Supporting Documentation
Dubuque
THE CITY OF �
uI�AaMca cih
DuB E � �
I � � I
Maste iece on the Mississi i Zoo�•zoiz•zois
YP pp zoi�*zoi9
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: 2019 Municipal Equality Index Ranking - Human Rights Campaign
DATE: December 27, 2019
Human Rights Director Kelly Larson is transmitting information on the City of Dubuque's
final score on the Human Rights Campaign's 2019 Municipal Equality Index.
In 2019, a total of 506 cities were ranked. Dubuque's score of 100 is significantly higher
(67%) than the national city average score of 60 points. Eight-eight (17%) cities scored
100 points. Only three cities in lowa, Dubuque, lowa City and Cedar Rapids, scored
100.
v
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director
Dubuque
THE CITY OF �
DU B E ;FAoenc�Ciq
I�„� I
2007�2012�2013
Masterpiece on the Mississippi zov*zoi9
To: Michael C. Van Milligen
From: Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director
Date: December 26, 2019
Re: 2019 Municipal Equality Index Ranking — Human Rights Campaign
The purpose of this memo is to provide the City of Dubuque's final score on the Human
Rights Campaign's 2019 Municipal Equality Index.
The Municipal Equality Index (MEI) is a ranking of municipalities across the country
based on the inclusiveness of their laws, policies, and services for lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) residents. The MEI is issued by the Human
Rights Campaign, a national education and advocacy organization working to achieve
equality for LGBTQ people. Since 2012, the HRC has issued the annual Municipal
Equality Index, ranking cities on a scale from zero to 100 based on 44 criteria covering
non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law
enforcement, and the city leadership's public position on equality.
Dubuque's score for 2019 is 100. Dubuque was awarded all available points for its
municipal services and law enforcement. The City received partial credit for the
fol I owi ng:
• 2 out of a possible 6 points for having a regular practice of routinely including
non-discrimination requirements in contracts. Full credit would require a formal
policy or ordinance that requires all businesses the City contracts with for goods
or services to have an employee non-discrimination policy that expressly covers
both sexual orientation and gender identity.
• 4 out of a possible 5 points for the City's non-discrimination law. Full credit would
require removal of the following religious exemption in the City's non-
discrimination ordinance:
"The prohibition by this section of discrimination based on sexual orientation
shall not apply to any bona fide religious institution with respect to any
qualifications for employment by such institution." Dubuque Code of
Ordinances Section 8-3-3(B).
The City received bonus points for the following:
. 1 bonus point for offering Domestic Partner Benefits for City employees;
. 2 bonus points for offering programming specifically for LGBTQ youth based on
the City's financial and staff support for the Multicultural Family Center and its
LGBTQ youth programs;
. 2 bonus points for having an openly LGBTQ appointed municipal leader.
In 2019, a total of 506 cities were ranked. Dubuque's score of 100 is significantly higher
than the national city score average of 60 points. Eighty-eight cities scored 100 points;
25 percent scored over 89 points; 50 percent scored over 60 points; 25 percent scored
less than 40; and 14 cities scored zero points.
2019 Scores for cities in lowa:
. Ames — 87
. Cedar Rapids — 100
. Davenport — 80
. Des Moines— 93
. lowa City — 100
. Dubuque — 100
. Sioux City — 57
. Waterloo — 59
. West Des Moines — 95
The MEI rated 506 cities including the 50 state capitals, the 200 largest cities in the
United States, the five largest cities or municipalities in each state, the cities home to
the state's two largest public universities, 75 municipalities that have high proportions of
same-sex couples and 98 cities selected by HRC and Equality Federation state group
members and supporters.
The City of Dubuque report is attached. The full report, including detailed scorecards
for every city, as well as a searchable database, is available online at www.hrc.orq/mei.
This memo is provided for your information.
2
eR GHTS DUBUQUE, IOWA 1/2 DUBUQUE, IOWA 2/2 R GHTS
CAMPAIGN 2019 MUNIqPAL EQUALITY INDEX SCORECARD 2019 MUNIqPAL EQUALITY INDEX SCORECARD e CAMPAIGN
I. Non—Discrimination Laws STATE COUNTY MUNICIPAL AVAILABLE IV. Law Enforcement MUNICIPAL AVAILABLE
Thls categoryevaluates whether Employment Fair enforcement of the law Indudes LGBTQ Pollce Llaison or Task Force
dlscrimina£ion on the basls of sexual � 0 ' � � responslble reporting of hate crimes and 10 10
orienta£ion and gender ldentlt Is Housing engaging wlth the LGBTQ communit In a Reported 201 7 Hate Crimes Statistics
prohlblted bythe cit, count,orstate In q�, 0 � � � thoughtful and respectfulway� fp the FBI 12 12
areas of employment, housing, and
publlcaccommodatlons, PubllcAccommodatlons � � � �
4 0 � 5 5 SCORE 22 out of 22
SCORE 29 out of 30
BONUS Single-0ccupancyAll-Gender � � � �
Fa�'"t'es V. Leadership on LGBTQ Equality
MUNICIPAL AVAILABLE
BONUS Protects Youth from Converslon � � � �
Therapy
Thls category measures the clt leadershlp's Leadershlp's Publlc Posltlon on LGBTQ Equallty
� �. MUnICI�"Ja�lt aS Efl"l�"J�0 21' �omm��tment�ruiy��n�iudeme�eera � �
� � Munliciaa� avai�as�e communit and tp advocate for full equallt
Leadershlp's Pro-Equallt Leglsla£ive or Pollcy � �
Efforts
Byoffering equlvalent beneflts and Non-Dlscrimina£ion In Clt Employment � �
protec£ions tp LGBTQ employees, awarding
contracts to fair-minded buslnesses, SCORE 8 out of 8
and taking steps tp ensure an Induslve Transgender-Induslve Healthcare Beneflts 6 6
workplace, munlcipalltlescommltthemselves BONUS OpenIyLGBTQ Elected orAppolnted � �
tptrea£ingLGBTQemployeesequally CltyContractprNon-Dlscrimina£ionOrdlnance � � MunlcipalLeaders
BONUS Clt Tests Llmlts of Restrictive State � �
Induslve Workplace Law
O O
SCORE 24 out of 28
BONUS Clt Employee Domestic Partner � �
Beneflts
III. Municipal Services couNry citt AVAILABLE TOTALSCORE95 +TOTALBONUSS = FIIICII SCOre 1 ��
Thls sectlon assesses the efforts of the cit Human Rlghts Commisslon CANNOT EXCEED 100
tp ensure LGBTQ constltuents are Induded � � �
In cltservices and programs, NDO Enforcement by Human Rlghts
Commisslon � � �
LGBTQ Llaison In Clt E.ecutive's Offlce
5 5
SCORE 1 2 out of 12
BONUS Youth Bullying Preven£ion Pollcyfor +o � +i
Clt Services
BONUS Clt Provides Services tp LGBTQ � �
Youth
BONUS Clt Provides Services tp LGBTQ � �
Homeless People
BONUS Clt Provides Services tp LGBTQ � �
Elders PTS FOR SEXUAL ORIENTATION �PTS FOR GENUER IUENTITY O BONUS PTS for criteria not accessible to all cities at this time.
BONUS City PfOVideS SeNiCeS HIV/AIDS � � FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CITY SELECTION�CRITERIA OR THE MEI SCORING SYSTEM�PLEASE VISIT HRC.ORG/MEI.
Population All cities rated were provided their scorecard in advance of publication and given the opportunity to submit revisions For feedback regarding a particular
BONUS Clt ProVides SeNices ip the ciTy's scorecard,please email mei@hrc.org,
�
Transgender Communit hrc,org/mel