The Municipal Equality Index — an annual report issued by the Human Rights Campaign — measures cities by their policies, ordinances and practices related to LGBTQ+ inclusion and protections. It offers a snapshot view in a checklist format — allowing for quick comparisons and recognition of success while clearly outlining needed improvements.

This year is the tenth in a row that Philadelphia has earned a perfect score — and that’s an achievement worth celebrating.

But the simplified DEI metric doesn’t allow for more comprehensive or nuanced looks at municipal happenings. For example, the Municipal Equality Index awarded Philadelphia all possible points for having an LGBTQ+ liaison in the city executive’s office. But Philly’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs has been vacant throughout most of this year.

Celena Morrison-McLean, who was hired following an eight-month gap in 2020, resigned in November 2024. Her replacement, Tyrell Brown, began working in late spring 2025 but quickly departed in July amid a scandal after receiving an unsolicited, semi-nude photo from a more senior staffer.

Brandee Anderson — who was serving as the city’s top DEI officer at the time — was fired for what the city described as inappropriately handling the issue with Brown. She has since become a whistleblower for what she describes as a problematic culture that does not value DEI and LGBTQ+ issues. The city has a different view about the matter, and her role was filled with an interim leader immediately.

Brown has continually said they’re trying to move forward and has focused their attention on Philly Pride 365 — the nonprofit they founded in 2022, which produces the city’s LGBTQ+ festivals and events. But the city has allowed the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs position to remain vacant — leaving a hole in LGBTQ+ leadership for approximately nine months in 2025.

The Municipal Equality Index announcement also comes amid new criticism of Mayor Cherelle Parker for her recent shift in approach to DEI efforts.

Parker announced an end to Philadelphia’s longstanding diversity goals within the city’s contract procurement process. The most recent iteration aimed to award 35% of city contracts to certain minority-owned businesses, attempting to create opportunities for business owners who are Black, women and/or disabled.

It’s a target that has proven difficult to hit. The work accounted for just a small fraction of the city’s $4 billion in contracts and hasn’t inched close to the goal — and most of the business owners who benefited were white women.

The new decision is a second step in rollbacks following a September decision that ended DEI benchmarks for those who receive contracts in their hiring of subcontractors.

Parker said the change isn’t due to pressures from the Trump administration, which has threatened to revoke federal funding to cities that include DEI initiatives. But many believe the decision is at least related.

“In Philly, we’re supposed to be a little grittier than that,” said ​​City Council Minority Leader Kendra Brooks — who added that she was “deeply troubled” and condemned the decision. “I think constantly caving under the Trump administration’s thumb is definitely problematic, but I’m not the mayor.”

The Parker administration explained that it’s more about preemptively complying with a 2023 US Supreme Court ruling — a decision that deemed race-based acceptance criteria unlawful in college admissions (outlawing affirmative action) and set up legal precedent for similar suits of other contexts.

Her announcement comes just a month after Philadelphia settled a case repped by a Trump-affiliated nonprofit, which aimed to prove that the city’s previous DEI practices were discriminatory because they imposed race and gender-based quotas. Some criticized Parker for settling too quickly.

The settlement, through which the city agreed to pay more than $400,000 in plaintiff costs, included a promise to amend DEI approaches by underlining that the city’s goals are strictly aspirational and not requirements. But Parker decided to overhaul the system, throwing out the old system in favor of something new that she believes is the future of the DEI movement.

“As we navigate these policy shifts, we will move forward with realistic pragmatism: hopeful that Philadelphia’s Black business community will benefit from these new policies, while remaining vigilant of the discriminatory practices that led to the creation of MWBE [Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise] programs across the nation,” reads part of a statement released by Philadelphia’s African-American Chamber of Commerce (AACC), which supports and advocates for Black-owned businesses.

“For more than 30 years, the AACC has known that two things can be true at once: Black-owned businesses need protections when competing for government contracts while many of the policies put in place to support Black entrepreneurs need to be reassessed and reimagined,” the statement continues. “While limited access to capital and late payment on work performed are major factors that inhibit our ability to compete for government contracts, we still need access to these opportunities.”

Although the shift has shocked many, Parker and her team have vowed that they are not abandoning DEI.

“The old programs aren’t working, the studies show it and we know it,” she said. “We knew we needed to shift our strategy before it even became a legal necessity to do so.”

She’s launching a broader program, signed into existence through executive order, that hasn’t been well-defined yet but will focus on collaborating with “small and local” businesses.

To be considered “small” for purposes of city contract procurement, businesses will be defined by tiers and must have less than 750 employees (which includes most mid-sized companies). To be considered “local,” they must be headquartered in Philadelphia or meet other criteria related to employing city residents and conducting additional business within the city limits.

LGBTQ+ owned businesses weren’t previously included in the city’s supply diversity program — a problem LGBTQ+ and allied advocates have been fighting for throughout at least the last decade. Without such strict parameters around diversity metrics, more LGBTQ+ business owners might be counted and included.

“While it is disappointing to continue to witness policy shifts that dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion policies in contracting and procurement across the country, I understand the practical, political and legal realities that have forced the City of Philadelphia to reimagine and reassess the way they do business with our local entrepreneurs,” said Zach Wilcha of the Independence Business Alliance — the region’s LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce.

“If executed well, the new Small and Local Business Program has great potential to offer expanded economic opportunities to many communities, queer businesses included,” he continued. “And we will continue to be a voice at the table to be a trusted liaison between the City and the communities we represent, to advocate for access to opportunities, and to offer candid feedback as this new program rolls out.”

The “small and local” approach could prove to be more inclusive for LGBTQ+ vendors, but the new program won’t solve every problem facing minority business owners who want to work with the city.

Late payments — a problem that has affected Mazzoni Center and various other nonprofits — might shut out firms owned by marginalized people, as the city’s debts cause catastrophic challenges as businesses attempt to balance budgets. Some accrue their own debt — paying interest as they wait for the city to pay their bills.

A continued reworking of the procurement process and contracting practices is needed to ensure business owners who do not have the privilege to take on those risks and hardships will even have opportunities.

Ensuring information about the new program is accessible to entrepreneurs and tracking who is awarded contracts will be key to evaluating the program’s impact.

Renee Garcia, Philadelphia’s chief legal officer, said during a press conference that the city will collect data, continually evaluate the emerging program, and pivot if needed. Nadir Jones, the city’s director of business impact and supplier diversity, said he plans to implement various new programs that will bolster small businesses in need of financial and other tangible support.

“DEI is not a law. It is not a mandate,” said Donna Jackson Stephan, the interim head of Philadelphia’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. “It is a set of values. It’s a set of practices. It’s how we do business.”

But without legislation mandating diversity, equity and inclusion, business leaders can only try to trust that city leaders will do the right thing and hope that their values will align.

“Effective diversity, equity and inclusion policies are intentional acts to dismantle the harms of the past and to ensure that we are investing in communities of color in the future,” said Councilmember Rue Landau — the city’s first openly LGBTQ+ councilmember. “We don’t always have to name it certain things to continue on with those intentional actions, but we absolutely cannot stop the progress that we’ve been making — because at the end of the day, supporting people’s civil rights and righting the wrongs of our past will be the most successful at the local level. DEI policies are not just good for our economy and our community. They are a moral imperative for Philadelphia.”

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