Mayor Wanda Williams shared Harrisburg’s score on the “Municipal Equality Index” at a press conference in city hall.
According to a new study, Harrisburg is one of the most welcoming places in the state for LGBTQ residents.
At a press conference on Tuesday, city officials shared that Harrisburg received its highest score to date on the Human Rights Campaign’s annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI) for its support of the LGBTQ community.
The MEI measures how municipalities assist this group through its laws, policies and services. Harrisburg scored 96 out of 100 and earned 13 “flex points,” giving it a total of 109, the highest score of any participating municipality, according to the city.
“I am more encouraged now than ever before that Harrisburg is on the right path forward,” said Mayor Wanda Williams.
According to the city, in 2019-21, Harrisburg scored 69 points on the MEI and in 2022 scored 71. This year’s high score was reached through initiatives like beginning to report hate crime statistics to the FBI and offering city employees transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits.
In the spring, Harrisburg also appointed Deborah Robinson as the LGBTQ liaison in city hall, as well as Jennifer Cameron as the liaison in the police bureau. Both Robinson, special assistant for community affairs, and Cameron, special assistant for the police bureau, serve as liaisons for all underrepresented community groups, acting as advocates on their behalf.
The city received perfect scores in areas like its non-discrimination laws, city leadership’s position on LGBTQ equality and for having a human rights commission. Harrisburg gained bonus points for employing openly LGBTQ elected and appointed officials and for providing services to LGBTQ youth, senior citizens and people experiencing homelessness.
“There is always more work to be done, so this does not mark a finish line, but it does mark important progress,” said Amanda Arbour, director of the LGBT Center of Central Pa. “We are grateful for the work that Mayor Williams and her administration have done to prioritize LGBTQ+ inclusion within the past year.”
To view the Municipal Equality Index report for Harrisburg, click here.
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