The Human Rights Campaign released the 2023 Municipal Equality Index, and Portland 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, and 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, Portland earned a score of 100 out of 100. In case you missed it, that's the same as last year's 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. Portland achieved a 30 out of 30 for our laws across the state, county, and municipality.

Municipality as employer

Cities can achieve points for inclusive employment policies like trans-inclusive health care policies and non-discrimination in city employment. Portland 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. Portland scored 10 out of 12.

Law enforcement

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

Leadership on LGBTQ+ equality

This section looks at city leadership’s commitment to advocacy and inclusion. Portland got an 8 out of 8, and earned bonus points for having openly LGBTQ+ elected or appointed leaders.

Other studies like this

The HRC isn’t the only organization tracking Portland’s inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community. Explore these locally conducted studies for comparison:

"LGBTQ+ Social Services and Needs in Portland Oregon," by Jay M. Tomlinson, Portland State University
LGBTQ2SIA+ Student Success Plan from Oregon's Department of Education
LGBTQ+ Older Adult Survey Report from The Goldsen Institute

Looking ahead

Portland earned its perfect score with bonus points and would achieve a higher score from the HRC with a few extra efforts. For example, the municipality could enforce its nondiscrimination ordinances through a commission.

Bonus points would be awarded if the city provided services to the transgender community, LGBTQ+ youths, and others.

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

PFLAG Portland
Dykes on Bikes
Pride Foundation
Sexual & Gender Minority Youth Resource Center
Q Center
Our House
Cascade AIDS Project
Bradley Angle
Northwest Gender Alliance