National LGBT rights group Human Rights Campaign will make a trip to Cincinnati Wednesday to announce its Municipal Equality Index.
The index scores how welcoming cities are to members of the LGBT community. HRC researched every state capital, the country's 200 biggest cities by population, the four largest cities in every state, the city with every state's largest public university and 75 of the country's mid-sized cities with the highest proportion of same-sex couples.
The scores take into account municipal laws, whether cities offer employees domestic partner benefits and law enforcement and city officials' relationships with the LGBT community. A perfect score is 100, which indicates "an exemplary commitment to full equality for all its residents and workers," HRC said in a news release.
Cincinnati has been in the spotlight recently for LGBT rights issues. The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in the city, heard cases over the summer seeking to strike down same-sex marriage bans in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. Last week the court upheld those bans, likely setting off a Supreme Court challenge to the laws.
HRC will announce Cincinnati's equality index score, a perfect 100, as well as overall national scores at Memorial Hall Wednesday at 10 a.m. Mayor John Cranley, Councilman Chris Seelbach, Councilwoman Yvette Simpson and noted LGBT advocates will also speak at the event.
