From my first day in office in 2003, I pledged to preserve a democratic and inclusive government that serves and represents our diverse community.
I am honored to share with you the City has obtained the highest score of 100 on the 2014 Municipal Equality Index (MEI), a nationwide evaluation of 353 cities on how inclusive the city’s laws and policies are for the LGBT community. Orlando is one of the few major cities in the country to obtain the top score of the MEI.
In the past few years, we have established policies and ordinances that foster inclusiveness and benefit everyone equally from the adoption of the domestic partnership registry with more than 1,321 couples registered as of today, to the support of marriage equality in court briefs, to gender identity being added as a protected class in our anti-discrimination City Code.
As a result of our significant efforts, our MEI perfect score demonstrates the progress our community has made and validates our commitment to an inclusive government that promotes diversity and benefits all sectors of society, including the LGBT community. I am proud of this accomplishment as Orlando continues attracting talented people of different backgrounds from all over the world.
I would like to thank our LGBT community leaders for their continued support. Together, we have made Orlando one of the most inclusive cities in America.
I encourage you to join me in celebrating this accomplishment and share this news with your family members and friends. There is no denying this human rights movement will generate a positive result and pave the way to have a better future as we enhance the quality of life of all.
To obtain more information about MEI and this year’s scorecard, please visit HRC.org/MEI.
