The Human Rights Campaign's LGBTQ Municipal Equality Index has just scored the City of Covington a 94 out of 100. The city scored a 74 last year, jumping 20 points in 2019.
The index measures cities based on their non-discrimination laws, employment practices, inclusion when it comes to city services and programs, community engagement and response to potential hate crimes by law enforcement and how city leadership publicly supports equality for members of the LGBTQ community.
"We are thrilled," Mayor Joe Meyer said in a release. "Covington prides itself on being a welcoming community — in fact, it's part of our core identity — and this is outside, independent reinforcement that we back up our beliefs and our attitudes with laws, protections, and policies."
Covington is second in the state behind Louisville, which scored 100. Cincinnati also scored 100.
In 2003, Covington was one of the first cities in the state to "codify its commitment to protecting all people from discrimination by passing a Human Rights Ordinance that added sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes, prohibiting discrimination within the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, resort and amusement," reads the release.
And this past year, the City of Covington has taken steps to improve its Municipal Equality Index score by "passing an ordinance banning discrimination by City contractors for sexual orientation and gender identity, creating a non-gender-specific restroom at City Hall, and naming a liaison among senior staff to serve as a resource for LGBTQ issues for City employees," reads the release.
"It is nice to see the score reflect what those of us who live here already know — that the LGBTQ community is welcome in Covington and that our City government and leadership have a commitment to furthering inclusion within our city," said Bonnie Meyer, who directs Northern Kentucky University's Office of LGBTQ Programs and Services and worked with Covington on its score, in the release. "The City of Covington has been a leader in supporting LGBTQ people for more than 16 years."
