Long Beach Scores High for LGBTQ+ Rights
It is a great privilege to be living in Long Beach. Just imagine – some of the activities that many people of the community have the freedom to enjoy, can’t be easily accessed or enjoyed in other countries, states, or cities. The Great LBC has been known to be a city of inclusion. For a total of eight years, the City of Long Beach has been named one of the best cities in the nation for the LGBTQ inclusion in the municipal law and policy by the Human Rights Campaign.
The Human Rights Campaign is the largest LGBTQ advocacy group and political lobbying organization in the United States. Its focus is to protect and expand rights for LGBTQ individuals. Some examples include marriage equality, anti-discrimination for LGBTQ individuals and hate crimes legislation.
If you look into Long Beach status’ in the municipal index on the Human Rights Campaign website, the score is 100/100. The score is calculated by examining the laws, policies, and services of municipalities on the basis of their inclusivity of LGBTQ people.
The Long Beach community has done a phenomenal job of advocating for the rights of those underserved. Below are a few great examples –
- Protection of youth from conversion therapy
- Non-discrimination in city-employment
- Workplace inclusivity
- The availability of city employee domestic partner benefits
- The availability of transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits
- LGBTQ Liaisons in the City’s executive office and Police Department
- Leadership’s public position on LGBTQ Equality
Throughout the year there have been numerous rallies, protests, and events that help highlight issues going on in the local community that also have made a national impact. These types of events help shed light on issues that we may not even think of, purely based on the simple fact that one may not encounter or suffer from such a problem. Continuously the people and the city of Long Beach have proven themselves to be pioneers of the modern world view, with a recent ninth year in a row announcement as one of the top 10 digital cities. There is a lot of pride here in LBC and these are just to name a couple of stand out achievements.
Let us know your thoughts on why this city is so great to you! Have you been positively affected by the inclusivity of Long Beach? Please share in the comment section below.
For more on Long Beach Municipal Index, click here.
By: Alejandra Salgado