There is an apparent disparity between the official approaches that several local cities have taken to purposefully embrace the LGBTQ community.
The Human Rights Campaign recently released its annual Municipal Equality Index scorecard. While Dallas and Fort Worth got perfect scores, some other North Texas Cities did not do as well.
The nationwide survey ranks cities based on how much local laws foster the acceptance of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.
Dallas and Fort Worth each earned a score of 100, but only one other local city – Plano - scored above the national average of 57, and half of the local cities scored below the average Texas score of 41.
Here are the scores given to ten North Texas cities, as well as a link to their scorecard:
Dallas 100
Fort Worth 100
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Plano 74
Arlington 44
Denton 44
Garland 22
Mesquite 21
McKinney 18
Irving 6
“This is not a ranking of a city’s atmosphere or quality of life. It is an evaluation of the city’s law and policies, and an examination of how inclusive city services are of LGBTQ people,” the Human Rights Campaign noted on its website.
Cities are scored based upon factors including whether they have specific ordinances relating to anti-discrimination hiring practices on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, if a city has its own Human Rights Commission, whether the police department has an LGBTQ liaison and what the city leadership’s public position has been concerning LGBTQ equality.
The City of Mesquite actually disputed its score of 21 with the Human Rights Campaign this past summer while that organization was in the process of compiling its annual Index, but it apparently raised that concern six days too late.
“The initial score for Mesquite was 21. However, our staff submitted additional information which raised the Mesquite score to 69,” said Wayne Larson, Director of Communications and Marketing for the City of Mesquite. “HRC indicated the deadline has passed for the 2017 scorecard, but that the new information will be considered for next year.”
The City of Irving’s score of six is tied with Laredo for the lowest in the state of Texas. The six points that Irving gets credit for are thanks to an enumerated anti-bullying policy in the Irving Independent School District.
“The City of Irving strongly values our many diverse groups both in the community and workforce. We value our diverse employee base and take inclusion very seriously and require all to be treated with respect,” a city spokesperson told NBC DFW in a statement. “We regularly examine our policies to address the city’s constantly changing ethnic and cultural landscape – all in an effort to ensure a welcoming and supportive environment for employees, residents and visitors.”
A Garland spokesperson responded to NBC DFW regarding its score of 22.
“The City of Garland places a high value on inclusiveness and diversity in our community and in our organization,” the statement noted. “Those values are reflected in our Guiding Principles.”
A McKinney spokesperson also responded regarding its assessed score of 18.
“The City of McKinney strives to treat everyone with dignity, honor and respect. We hope all people, both our employees and those we serve in the community, will find our city to be a place where they are accepted and valued,” a statement noted. “As a workplace, the city is committed to providing equal opportunities regardless of age, race, color, gender, religion, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status."
