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Credit: Matthew Lehman<\/p>\nCredit: Matthew Lehman<\/p>\n
The Human Rights Campaign, one of the largest LGBTQ+ civil rights group in the nation, has released its\u00a0annual report<\/a>\u00a0evaluating cities across the country on how inclusive their municipal laws, policies, and services are of LGBTQ+ people who live and work there.<\/p>\n Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Miami, Orlando, St Petersburg, Tampa, and Wilton Manors all received 100% scores in the organization\u2019s Municipal Equality Index.<\/p>\n \u201cWith federal and state governments too often leaving LGBTQ+ people behind, cities and towns are stepping up and embracing inclusion and equality,\u201d said Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cFor years now, state legislatures \u2014 and now Congress and the President \u2014 are waging a calculated campaign to erase LGBTQ+ people from public life and the cities that wish to welcome them. But there are still more of us who support equality than those who do not \u2014 and I commend each and every city that fought against tall odds to show their continued support of our community. In these challenging times, our work with the Municipal Equality Index and the leadership of these municipalities have never been more critical.\u201d<\/p>\n Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia recently\u00a0criticized several local governments<\/a>\u00a0for spending taxpayer funds on Pride events and for LGBTQ+ youth services as part of the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force findings.<\/p>\n The state\u2019s Department of Transportation sparked outrage earlier this year when it began removing pavement surface markings of all political stripes, such as the rainbow-striped crosswalk outside the\u00a0Pulse Memorial in Orlando<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mayors from two of the cities that received perfect scores hailed their inclusion on the Human Rights Campaign\u2019s annual list on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m proud that our community has received this honor,\u201d said St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch. \u201cAs we continue to build on this progress, we remain committed to making St. Pete a city that advances equity for all of its residents.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen everyone feels safe, supported, and included, cities become more creative, economies grow, and public life becomes more vibrant,\u201d said Tampa\u00a0Mayor Jane Castor\u00a0in a press release.\u00a0\u201cStudies consistently show that LGBTQ+ equality makes cities stronger for all residents, attracting talent, inspiring innovation, and building the kind of trust and energy that allow neighborhoods, businesses, and people to thrive together.\u201d<\/p>\n Florida Phoenix<\/a>\u00a0is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Contact Michael Moline for questions:\u00a0info@floridaphoenix.com<\/a>. Follow Florida Phoenix on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0Bluesky<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tPilots at Allegiant are looking for wages and benefits on par with industry standards\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Allegiant](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763587990_400_IMG_3116-scaled.jpg\")
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