St. Louis receives perfect score in annual Human Rights Campaign equality report

The Human Rights Campaign has awarded the City of St. Louis a perfect score in the organization’s 2023 Municipal Equality Index for its support of the queer community.

The annual report, now on its 12th edition, is a comprehensive nationwide assessment of LGBTQ+ equality through the lens of policies, laws and services that exist in communities around the United States.

“Even with the challenges that we're facing, the [index] shows us that more cities and towns than ever are standing up for LGBTQ+ equality,” said Kelly Robinson, president of the Human Rights Commission Foundation. “That's thanks to mayors, counselors and city managers who are doing everything they can to support their LGBTQ+ residents.”

The nonprofit organization surveyed 506 municipalities across all 50 states for the report, and of those, about 25% have received perfect scores — including Kansas City and Columbia.

"Being a blue city in a red state comes with its own significant challenges," said Mayor Tishaura Jones, under the rotunda of City Hall on Tuesday. "The City of St. Louis, and our friends across the state in Kansas City, are frequently preempted in our attempts to keep our city safe and welcoming places for all.”