The Human Rights Campaign released the 2024 Municipal Equality Index, and Lexington is at the top of the list. How'd we score?

Each year, the Human Rights Campaign releases a Municipal Equality Index which takes a deep dive into municipal laws, policies, and services and how inclusive they are of LGBTQ+ people.

This year’s edition scored 506 cities across five categories — non-discrimination laws, municipality as employer, services and programs, law enforcement, and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality.

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

Lexington has a long history of working to improve the quality of life for all of its citizens. | Photo courtesy of VisitLex

Non-discrimination laws

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

Municipality as employer

Inclusive employment practices like trans-inclusive healthcare policies and non-discrimination in city employment earned Lexington a 23 out of 28 + bonus points for city employee domestic partner benefits.

Services and programs

This section considers the city’s efforts to include services and programs for LGBTQ+ folks. Lexington scored 12 out of 12, and racked up 10 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, Lexington earned 22 out of 22.

Leadership in LGBTQ+ equality

Lexington received an 8 out of 8 for city leadership's commitment to advocacy + inclusion. Bonus points were awarded for having openly LGBTQ+ elected or appointed leaders.

Looking ahead

Thanks to 19 bonus points, Lexington earned its perfect score with room to spare. Want to help maintain Lexington's perfect score? Here are some local organizations that support the LGBTQ+ community.