The Human Rights Campaign released the 2023 Municipal Equality Index, and Sacramento is on the list. How did we score?

Each year, the Human Rights Campaign releases a Municipal Equality Index which takes a deep dive into municipal laws, policies +services, and how inclusive they are of LGBTQ+ people. This year’s edition examined 506 cities on 49 different criteria across five categories — non-discrimination laws, municipality as employer, services and programs, law enforcement, and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality.

Based on these criteria, Sacramento earned a score of 100 out of 100. A perfect score. Here’s a breakdown of how we got here… and how that score may change.

Non-discrimination laws

This category looks at whether LGBTQ+ discrimination is prohibited by law in areas of employment, housing, and public accommodation. Sacramento achieved a 30 out of 30 for our laws across the state, county + municipality, and received bonus points for single-occupancy all-gender facilities and protections against youth conversion therapy.

Municipality as employer

Cities can achieve points for inclusive employment policies like trans-inclusive healthcare policies and non-discrimination in city employment. Sacramento got a 28 out of 28, and earned bonus points for city employee domestic partner benefits.

Services and programs

This section considers the city’s efforts to include LGBTQ+ folks in city services and programs. Sacramento scored 5 out of 12, but got bonus points for services to LGBTQ+ people experiencing homelessness, older adults, and more.

Law enforcement

Looking at the relationship between law enforcement and the LGBTQ+ community, Sacramento earned 22 out of 22.

Leadership on LGBTQ+ equality

This section looks at city leadership’s commitment to advocacy and inclusion. Sacramento got a 6 out of 8.

Looking ahead

Even a perfect score doesn’t mean a perfect city. Sacramento earned its perfect score with bonus points and would achieve a higher score from the HRC with efforts like having a human rights commission.

If you want to get involved, here are some local organizations that support the LGBTQ+ community.

How do you think we could make our community more welcoming to all? Let us know.