EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation; the educational arm of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization; in partnership with the Equality Federation Institute, has given East Lansing a perfect score of 100 points in its 2016 Municipal Equality Index (MEI).
The MEI examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies and services are of LGBTQ people who live and work there. Cities are rated based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and the city leadership’s public position on equality.
The MEI assesses LGBTQ equality in 506 cities across the nation, including 11 cities in Michigan. This year, four of the 11 Michigan cities have been dubbed “All-Star Cities,” including East Lansing, Ann Arbor and Detroit, each with a score of 100; and Ferndale, with a score of 94. The average score for cities in Michigan is 69, which falls above the national average of 55.
"East Lansing has a long history of being a community that has prided itself on its diversity and inclusivity of all people,” said East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows. "We are extremely honored to be recognized as an ‘All-Star City’ by the HRC Foundation and we plan to continue to uphold the services, laws, programs and practices that helped us to achieve a perfect MEI score this year.”
The full report, including detailed scorecards for every city, as well as a searchable database, is available online at www.hrc.org/mei. View East Lansing’s scorecard.