BY BTL STAFF
Detroit, Ann Arbor and East Lansing all secured perfect 100-out-of-100 scores in the Human Rights Campaign's latest Municipal Equality Index.
The scores are based on five broad categories that include 44 different criteria. The five categories are non-discrimination laws, municipal employment policies, inclusiveness of city services, law enforcement, and municipal leadership on matters of equality, according to the HRC.
The HRC reports that the average score was 55, and that 25 percent of the 500-plus metro areas surveyed scored more than 75 points. Michigan's average city score is 69, which is above the national average.
Sixty cities of 506 received perfect scores, which is up from the 11 perfect scores in the first year of the study in 2012.
Some of the more specific criteria involve whether a city has a human rights commission, transgender health care benefits, hate crimes figures and the presence of LGBTQ liaisons.
Each city's ranking can be seen online.
Other Michigan cities featured on the MEI, with scores in parenthesis, were Ferndale (94), Grand Rapids (76), Kalamazoo (63), Lansing (65), Pleasant Ridge (45), Traverse City (75) and Warren (16).
Ferndale just missed out on a perfect score due to the absence of transgender healthcare and a human rights commission. While Grand Rapids has a human rights commission, the city was docked for health care options and no liaisons in the mayor's office nor in the police department.
Warren only received points for county accommodations and that it reported hate crime stats to the FBI in 2014, among other areas for bonus points. The explanation of the city's low rating can be seen online.
