Cathedral City Receives a Perfect Score from the HRC’s Foundation’s Municipal Equality Index
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, an educational entity of the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, released today its annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI) Scorecard rating the City of Cathedral City with a perfect score of 100. This is the first time in Cathedral City’s history to receive the highest recognition.
The MEI scorecard examined the laws, policies, and services of municipalities and rated them on the basis of their inclusivity of LGBT people who live and work there. The HRC Foundation’s Scorecard rated 408 municipalities throughout the United States with at least one municipality in each of the 50 states. Cathedral City was one of only 47 municipalities in the nation to receive a perfect score. Palm Springs, Cathedral City’s adjacent neighbor to the west, was the only other city to receive a perfect score out of the 9 cities in the Coachella Valley.
“The LGBT community has called Cathedral City home for as long as we have been a city,” stated Mayor Stan Henry. “Over the past few years, we have implemented new programs within our public safety departments including a designated LGBT liaison officer for our police department, passed new ordinances that require the equal treatment of all residents, and commenced our annual Cathedral City LGBT Days that celebrates our diversity.”
The LGBT population within Cathedral City continues to increase in size as they discover more and more LGBT and LGBT-friendly businesses catering to them and a city government that recognizes their needs. Notably, three of Cathedral City’s five members of council identify themselves as being part of the LGBT community. The Council recently passed an ordinance that goes into effect in early January that requires single stall public restrooms in Cathedral City to be re-labeled as “gender-neutral.” City Hall as well as many businesses throughout the city offer two, single-stall bathrooms – one for men and the other for women. The recently passed ordinance allows men, women, and transgender individuals to use either restroom in private and without being stigmatized. It also eliminates wait lines for the restroom of one gender if an opposite gender restroom is available. The ordinance does not affect multi-stall public gender restrooms.
With the new score of 100, Cathedral City’s MEI rating with the civil rights organization increased by 10 points since last year’s score of 90.
“Today’s announcement affirms that Cathedral City has reached a milestone in equality and gives our LGBT residents another reason to be proud of the place they call home,” proclaimed Mayor Stan Henry.
