Oakland, CA – The City of Oakland, California, has once again received a perfect 100 score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index, a measurement of how well municipalities include, respect, and serve their LGBTQI residents and workers.
“As America’s most unapologetic sanctuary city, Oakland, California is proud to put equality at the forefront of everything we do. Whether you’re a City resident or employee, you can bring your full self to City Hall or any other City facility – and we are all richer for it. The Human Rights Campaign’s recognition of the City of Oakland with a perfect score – again – for LGBTQI equality is a reflection of our commitment,” said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf.
Oakland has long been a pioneer of equality for sexual and gender minorities. In 2008, then-Mayor Ron Dellums officiated Alameda County’s first same-sex marriages at City Hall. In November, Oakland voters approved a change to the City Charter to remove gendered language and make all municipal codes gender-neutral. Oakland has scored 100 on the annual Municipal Equality Index since 2019.
To create the Municipal Equality Index, the Human Rights Campaign rated 506 cities including the 50 state capitals, the 200 largest cities in the U.S., the five largest cities or municipalities in each state, the cities home to the state’s two largest public universities, the 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 index assesses each city on 49 criteria covering citywide non-discrimination protections, policies for municipal employees, city services, law enforcement and the city’s leadership on LGBTQI equality.
See Oakland’s scorecard and learn more at HRC.org.
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