How LGBT-friendly is New Jersey? See how towns shaped up in new HRC report – Asbury Park Press
Despite a wave of anti-trans legislation at a statewide level, progress continues to be made at the municipal level regarding the quality of life and protections afforded to members of the LGBTQ+ community, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation says.
The foundation is the educational arm of the HRC, which is the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization.
In partnership with the Equality Federation, the groups released their 10th annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI), which is a nationwide assessment of LGBTQ+ equality in regard to municipal policies, laws and services, on Thursday. It examined 506 cities across the United States, including 12 in New Jersey.
Cities are scored out of 100 points, with the national average hitting 67 this year. 110 cities earned the highest score, a tenfold increase over 11 in 2012, when the MEI launched. The average score for New Jersey cities was 85, 15 above the national average.
“As the largest LGBTQIA right organization in the Garden State, we are proud of the progress we have made at both the state and local levels,” said Christian Fuscarino, executive director of Garden State Equality, in the news release.
“We are fortunate enough to have elected twice a true ally in Governor (Phil) Murphy,” Fuscarino said. “While we are seeing some disturbing trends based on misinformation and anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda, we remain committed to electing our candidates and candidates who stand firmly with our community. Garden State Equality understands the importance of having inclusive communities and, often times, that starts with the leaders of these municipalities.”
Here are the New Jersey cities assessed, and their scores:
- Asbury Park: 84
- Elizabeth: 71
- Hoboken: 93
- Jersey City: 100
- Lambertville: 98
- Montclair: 100
- New Brunswick: 67
- Newark: 61
- Ocean Grove: 89
- Paterson: 62
- Princeton: 100
- Trenton: 95
The MEI assesses each city on 49 criteria that cover citywide non-discrimination protections, policies for municipal employees, city services, law enforcement and the city’s leadership on LGBTQ+ equality. The 506 cities rated include 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, 75 municipalities that have high proportions of same-sex couples and 98 cities selected by HRC and Equality Federation state group members and supporters.
“LGBTQ+ people are everywhere — in every city, county and ZIP code. Throughout its 10-year history, the Municipal Equality Index has been centered on supporting and celebrating the work municipalities do to serve LGBTQ+ people in the places they call home,” said JoDee Winterhof, Human Rights Campaign senior vice president of policy and political affairs.
“This year, statewide lawmakers have zeroed in on attacking transgender and non-binary children — for no reason other than in an effort to harm and erase them,” Winterhof said. “Local leaders, however, have continued to move the needle of progress forward, and by doing so, they have spurred economic growth by signaling to residents, visitors and employers that their city is open to everyone.”
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Other key findings from the MEI include:
- The national city score average jumped to an all-time high of 67 points, up from 64 last year and 59 in 2012, marking both the fourth consecutive year of national average increases as well as the highest year-over-year national average growth ever.
- This year, 181 cities have transgender-inclusive health care benefits for municipal employees — up from 179 in 2020, despite more rigorous standards this year, and only five at the start of the MEI.
- Cities around the country saw progress, with every region of the country seeing a higher average score than last year.
- 43 municipalities have anti-conversion therapy ordinances in states with no state-level protections, up from 38 last year
The MEI report also contains an issue brief for policymakers that covers how municipalities can support transgender and non-binary individuals, as well as the types of challenges they face; ways that a city can support them; and guidance on forming an anti-transgender and non-binary violence prevention task force, organizers said.
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Despite the gains noted by local leaders, the HRC says “there remains an unacceptable patchwork of laws for LGBTQ+ people across the country,” which they say reinforces the need for passage of the federal Equality Act, which would “provide consistent and explicit non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people across key areas of life, including employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs and jury service.”
To read the full report, including detailed scorecards for each city and a searchable database, visit hrc.org/mei.
Ilana Keller is an award-winning journalist and lifelong New Jersey resident who loves Broadway and really bad puns. Reach out on Twitter: @ilanakeller; ikeller@gannettnj.com