Report: Local governments in Michigan rank high in LGBTQ+ equality

Michigan Pride at the Capitol in Lansing, June 25, 2023 | Angela Demas

Michigan is a shining example of forward progress on improving LGBTQ+ equality on a local level, Cathryn Oakley of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) said, reflecting on the group’s annual assessment of local government support for LGBTQ+ equality released last week.

More than half of the cities the HRC evaluated in Michigan for the 13th Municipal Equality Index, or MEI received 100 out of 100 in an assessment for LGBTQ+ equality. According to the report, cities examined in the index reached a higher scoring average than ever before, with over a quarter of cities scoring 100. 

“This is really the story that we see year after year… it’s not just blue states [or] red states that do well, truly, we are seeing cities across the country in all kinds of different sorts of political configurations who are really investing in this work, because they know that means investing in their community, and that LGBTQ folks are part of their community,” Oakley said.

The index ranked 506 municipalities across the country including all 50 state capitals, the 200 largest cities in the country and each state’s five largest cities or municipalities, the cities where each state’s two largest public universities are located, 75 cities and municipalities that with high proportions of same-sex couples, as well as 98 other cities chosen by HRC and Equality Federation stakeholders.

Oakley noted that Michigan has a good track record with having multiple cities score perfect scores for implementing non-discrimination policies in employment, housing and access to public goods, as well as employing and welcoming members of the LGBTQ+ in positions of leadership and education. Coordination with local law enforcement to better handle instances of hate crimes and ensuring LGBTQ+ members enjoy the same protections all other residents enjoy is a key tenant of how municipalities are scored.

Detroit leaders in particular take pride in maintaining a 100 rating, celebrating the city’s 9th consecutive perfect score when this year’s report came out. 

“Detroit is a city that welcomes and values all people and it is more important than ever for members of the LGBTQ+ community know Detroit is a safe place for them,” Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said in a news release. “This has been and will continue to be a priority for our city.”

Welcoming LGBTQ+ residents is a key component in growing a municipality so more people put down roots, Oakley said as cities want residents to feel like they’re a part of a community so see the city as a place worth investing in.

Kalamazoo, which received a 100 score this year, was a featured city in the index this year for codifying a permanent Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Department in the city last year. Additionally, liaisons for LGBTQ+ residents were placed in the City Manager’s Office and the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety to inform agencies on how to best serve the community.

Michigan on a state level has made some exciting moves to support LGBTQ+ residents in recent years, Oakley remarked, most notably when it expanded its human rights laws last year to specifically protect against discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. The changes passed mostly along partisan lines, with a handful of Republicans joining Democrats in passing the changes in the legislature before Michigan’s Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed them into law.

LGBTQ+ rights are often politicized, especially on a national level Oakley said, as members of the community have expressed fears over what another presidency under Donald Trump will mean for marriage equality and rights for transgender Americans. 

But even as a purple state, Michigan local communities have been on an upward trajectory for LGBTQ+ rights through differing political party leadership, Oakley noted.

“Sometimes the politics piece can be a little bit of a mixed bag in Michigan… and sometimes LGBTQ issues can end up falling on the side of a partisan divide, which is strange, because honestly, the overwhelming majority of Americans, including an overwhelming majority of Michiganders, support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people,” Oakley said.

And what the index reflects and what makes it representative of hope during times of political divisions in the U.S. is that cities are clearly interested in doing better for their LGBTQ+ residents, Oakley said. People by-and-large care about the people they know, their neighbors, the families their kids play with and that connectivity solidifies community interest in caring for all members of the community