Arizona cities - like Scottsdale and here in Mesa - are "Kicking-The-Can-Down-The-Road" when it comes to the Equal LGBTQ Human Rights Campaign.
To "kick the can down the road" is to put off confronting a difficult issue or making an important decision, typically on a continuing basis.
Sending a letter to state government asking legislators to sign-on to a Unity Pledge certainly sends the right message, but it falls far short of what mayors in other cities across the country are doing to guarantee those rights.
Mesa Mayor John Giles consistently has said that except for "getting an aircraft carrier" everything else comes from cities. If that's the case, then why kick-the-can-down-road to Phoenix when the City of Mesa can get this done this election year?
For far too long he's not risen to the same challenge that mayors in other cities have faced to guarantee equal, fair and inclusive LGBTQ rights. What will it take to convince him to get on-board to exercise the leadership that other U.S. Mayors are doing to pass a Non-Discrimination Ordinance??
Why can't Giles take that next step up to the plate and get this done sometime real soon instead of dragging his heels?
(It could be his 'Achilles Heel' in any future political career he might be thinking about.)Giles repeatedly has said time-and-time in public that "It's the right thing to do" - diversity and inclusiveness - now it's become an issue for economic development and that might be exactly what is going to stare him down to take action.
Furthermore all the federally-funded defense and aerospace industries that are the backbone of Mesa's strong economy providing jobs and income to thousands of people here follow national LGBTQ employment standards.
A Nationwide Evaluation of Municipal Law
The Municipal Equality Index (MEI) examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies, and services are of LGBTQ people who live and work there. Cities are rated based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and the city leadership's public position on equality.
The 2017 MEI is the sixth annual edition and rates a total of 506 cities on 44 different criteria from every state in the nation.
READ THE FULL REPORT
Learn more about changes coming to the MEI Scorecard in 2018.
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This This year’s MEI paints a vivid picture: cities big and small, in red and blue states alike, are continuing our progress toward full equality, regardless of the political drama unfolding in Washington, D.C., and in state legislatures across the country,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Today, the MEI serves as a vital tool for business leaders and municipal officials alike when it comes to economic development. CEOs know that in order to attract and retain the best employees, they must grow their companies in places that protect LGBTQ citizens from discrimination and actively open their doors to all communities. The MEI is the best tool to help these businesses make crucial evaluations about the welcoming -- or unwelcoming -- nature of towns and cities across the nation. . . .
Earlier this year, HRC opened a new frontier in the fight against the Pence-Trump agenda and advancing equality by launching HRC Rising, the largest grassroots expansion in the organization's 37-year history.
The campaign is focused on mobilizing voters in six key states, including Arizona. While three cities in Arizona have scored 100 on this year's MEI, HRC Rising aims to accelerate progress statewide by resisting the politics of hate, fighting anti-LGBTQ legislation, and fueling pro-equality candidates and initiatives in Arizona, to ensure that the rights of LGBTQ Americans do not depend on where they live.
Ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, HRC has identified more than 675,000 Arizonans as likely Equality Voters -- those who are strong supporters of policies that advance LGBTQ equality, including marriage equality and other measures prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
[ http://www.hrc.org/blog/state-of-lgbtq-equality-in-11-arizona-cities-detailed-in-hrcs-6th-editions ]
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For LGBTQ Americans, legal protections and benefits vary widely depending on location -- states and cities have markedly different laws governing discrimination. 20 states have non-discrimination laws that include protections for LGBTQ people in employment, and 19 states have laws that protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in places of public accommodation.
The 2017 Municipal Equality Index, the only nationwide rating system of LGBTQ inclusion in municipal law and policy, shows that cities across the country, including in Arizona, continue to take the lead in supporting LGBTQ people and workers -- even in face of renewed attacks this year on the LGBTQ community by federal and state officials.
But cities are leading the way: since the MEI’s debut in 2012, the number of cities earning perfect scores has increased more than sixfold, and today at least 24 million people live in cities that have more comprehensive, transgender-inclusive non-discrimination laws than their state.
The average score for cities in Arizona is 61 out of 100 points, which falls above the national average of 57.
Avondale: 15
Chandler: 61
Flagstaff: 67
Gilbert: 19
Glendale: 63
Mesa: 60
Peoria: 26
Phoenix: 100
Scottsdale: 65
Tempe: 100
Tucson: 100
