A national LGBT civil rights organization gave West Lafayette one of the lowest equality scores among those evaluated in the state.
The city earned a score of 36 out of a possible 100 points, according to the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index released Dec. 17.
The group evaluated 408 municipalities nationwide, including seven in Indiana: West Lafayette, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Hammond, Indianapolis, South Bend and Bloomington, which earned a perfect score.
State capitals, large cities, cities with a high proportion of same-sex couples and cities with large public universities were selected, said Cathryn Oakley, senior legislative counsel and author of the report.
“We see cities are leading on matters of LGBT equality,” Oakley said. “Bloomington, Indianapolis and South Bend are all examples of this. They are really ahead of the state law in terms of passing non-discrimination laws and being inclusive of LGBT people.”
A 'short-sighted' index?
But West Lafayette officials say the report does not truly reflect the city’s commitment to diversity.
Mayor John Dennis called the report “distressing,” “judgmental” and “short-sighted.”
“If they did their research, then the data would have been compelling,” he said. “It would’ve been overwhelming. It would’ve showed them that West Lafayette is very interested in equality and very tolerant and diverse.”
The index evaluates select cities based on how well they prohibit discrimination, provide protection in the workplace, ensure inclusion in city services and programs, report hate crimes, and advocate for full equality, among other criteria.