The Municipal Equality Index \u2014 an annual report issued by the Human Rights Campaign \u2014 measures cities by their policies, ordinances and practices related to LGBTQ+ inclusion and protections. It offers a snapshot view in a checklist format \u2014 allowing for quick comparisons and recognition of success while clearly outlining needed improvements.<\/p>\n
This year is the tenth in a row that Philadelphia has earned a perfect score<\/a> \u2014 and that\u2019s an achievement worth celebrating.<\/p>\n But the simplified DEI metric doesn\u2019t 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\u2019s office<\/a>. But Philly\u2019s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs has been vacant throughout most of this year.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> amid a scandal after receiving an unsolicited, semi-nude photo<\/a> from a more senior staffer.<\/p>\n Brandee Anderson \u2014 who was serving as the city\u2019s top DEI officer at the time \u2014 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<\/a>, and her role was filled with an interim leader immediately.<\/p>\n Brown has continually said they\u2019re trying to move forward and has focused their attention on Philly Pride 365 \u2014 the nonprofit they founded in 2022, which produces the city\u2019s LGBTQ+ festivals and events. But the city has allowed the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs position to remain vacant \u2014 leaving a hole in LGBTQ+ leadership for approximately nine months in 2025.<\/p>\n The Municipal Equality Index announcement also comes amid new criticism of Mayor Cherelle Parker for her recent shift in approach to DEI efforts<\/a>.<\/p>\n Parker announced an end to Philadelphia\u2019s longstanding diversity goals within the city\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a target that has proven difficult to hit<\/a>. The work accounted for just a small fraction of the city\u2019s $4 billion in contracts and hasn\u2019t inched close to the goal \u2014 and most of the business owners who benefited were white women.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Parker said the change isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Philly, we\u2019re supposed to be a little grittier than that,\u201d said \u200b\u200bCity Council Minority Leader Kendra Brooks<\/a> \u2014 who added that she was \u201cdeeply troubled\u201d and condemned the decision. \u201cI think constantly caving under the Trump administration\u2019s thumb is definitely problematic, but I\u2019m not the mayor.\u201d<\/p>\n The Parker administration explained that it\u2019s more about preemptively complying with a 2023 US Supreme Court ruling \u2014 a decision that deemed race-based acceptance criteria unlawful in college admissions<\/a> (outlawing affirmative action) and set up legal precedent for similar suits of other contexts.<\/p>\n Her announcement comes just a month after Philadelphia settled a case<\/a> repped by a Trump-affiliated nonprofit, which aimed to prove that the city\u2019s previous DEI practices were discriminatory because they imposed race and gender-based quotas. Some criticized Parker for settling too quickly.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we navigate these policy shifts, we will move forward with realistic pragmatism: hopeful that Philadelphia\u2019s 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,\u201d reads part of a statement released by Philadelphia\u2019s African-American Chamber of Commerce (AACC), which supports and advocates for Black-owned businesses.<\/p>\n \u201cFor 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,\u201d the statement continues. \u201cWhile 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Although the shift has shocked many, Parker and her team have vowed that they are not abandoning DEI.<\/p>\n \u201cThe old programs aren\u2019t working, the studies show it and we know it,\u201d she said. \u201cWe knew we needed to shift our strategy before it even became a legal necessity to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019s launching a broader program, signed into existence through executive order<\/a>, that hasn\u2019t been well-defined yet but will focus on collaborating with \u201csmall and local\u201d businesses<\/a>.<\/p>\n To be considered \u201csmall\u201d 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 \u201clocal,\u201d they must be headquartered in Philadelphia or meet other criteria related to employing city residents and conducting additional business within the city limits.<\/p>\n LGBTQ+ owned businesses weren\u2019t previously included in the city\u2019s supply diversity program \u2014 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile 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,\u201d said Zach Wilcha of the Independence Business Alliance \u2014 the region\u2019s LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce.<\/p>\n \u201cIf executed well, the new Small and Local Business Program has great potential to offer expanded economic opportunities to many communities, queer businesses included,\u201d he continued. \u201cAnd 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201csmall and local\u201d approach could prove to be more inclusive for LGBTQ+ vendors, but the new program won\u2019t solve every problem facing minority business owners who want to work with the city.<\/p>\n