Miami Beach has been awarded a perfect score in a special report that evaluated the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer inclusiveness of different cities in the United States. The report was released by the country’s biggest LGBT rights group, Human Rights Campaign. The Mayor of Miami Beach commented on the perfect score, saying that the city is a model for the promotion of progressive initiatives like environmental protection, LGBTQ rights and fair wages.
According to HRC, Miami Beach received 14 bonus points on top of its 96 standards score, causing it to exceed the number of points required for a perfect score of 100. The bonus points were because the city has openly LGBTQ officials on its payroll, and it offers services to LGBTQ youths, elderly and trans individuals.
One of the reasons why the city did not receive the full 100 points, was due to 4 points deducted for the city’s failure to use the term LGBT in its contractor nondiscrimination ordinance. However, in response to this, the city’s mayor stated that in all its employment contracts it uses language that prohibits LGBTQ discrimination.
Several other Florida cities were given 100-plus ratings by the HRC. Those included: St. Petersburg, Orlando, Wilton Manors and West Palm Beach. Meanwhile, the least inclusive cities in Florida were Port Saint Lucie, coming in at 30, and Cape Coral, coming in at 25.
Clearly, not all Florida cities are equal when it comes to making efforts to limit LGBTQ discrimination. In fact, even Miami Beach has thus far failed to include non-discriminatory language in its contractor nondiscrimination ordinances. For any LGBTQ member who feels that he or she has suffered as a result of LGBTQ employment discrimination, these individual should know that they may have the right to pursue justice and financial restitution in court.
Source: Miami Herald, “National group scores Miami Beach highest in Florida for LGBT inclusiveness,” Ariana Figueroa, Oct. 18, 2016
