LGBTQ Inclusion Score | Photo by Soham Parikh | Edited by Kayli Thompson | The Wright State Guardian
Dayton has earned the highest possible score for LGBTQ Inclusion according to the human rights index for the fourth year in a row.
The Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index ranked 506 cities across the United States, with Dayton being one of the record 94 cities this year to earn the highest score.
“The results of this year’s Municipality Equality Index show definitive evidence that our local leaders across the nation are standing up for equality,” said Alphonso David, President of Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
How did this start?
Before the City of Dayton was getting perfect scores, they had to start somewhere.
“Before the City of Dayton was included in the program officially, we started using their scoresheet… to see how we would do,” said Kery Gray, LGBTQ Liaison for the City of Dayton. “In 2014, we began using their scoresheet to identify the things that we should be doing… we figured that we would get a score in the high 70s.”
However, the city quickly rose in the ranks, and earned its first perfect score in 2016.
“We looked at it in terms of best practices,” Gray said. “We looked at what we were already doing, as well as what we needed to be better at… It was an effort to make sure our city did a little better.”
What has changed?
In recent years, Dayton has implemented a number of new policies in order to advocate for its LGBTQ citizens.
“In the past decade, the overall culture has become more accepting of LGBTQA folks and with that acceptance has come policy changes and interest in making Dayton more inclusive for LGBTQA people,” said Emily Yantis-Houser, Associate Director of LGBTQA Affairs at Wright State.
“One of our changes was the creation of the Liaison position in the mayor’s office and the police department,” Gray said. “We also encouraged the Commission to become more active in advocating for LGBTQ issues.”
However, the political climate has gotten worse for LGBTQ residents in the past few years on both the local and national level.
“Unfortunately, the overall political climate of the past 4 years has not been friendly to the LGBTQA community. I do believe that has impacted the local climate and I know that LGBTQA people continue to face discrimination in our community which I’m sure young people have experienced,” Yantis-Houser said. “The national climate for LGBTQA people, particularly transgender/non-binary people, has absolutely gotten worse with healthcare and military discrimination and the continued murder of more trans people every year.”
What’s next?
Even with the political climate becoming worse, there are victories to look forward to.
“On the other hand, things have improved with the Supreme Court’s decision to federally protect sexual orientation and gender identity in employment under the Civil Rights Act,” Yantis-Houser said. “And things continue to improve locally with the public health initiatives… We keep working for that equity and inclusion.”
With Dayton and Wright State University leading the charge, the future does look bright.
“Although we continue to struggle, the support for LGBTQA students and community in the Dayton region is immense and continues to grow daily,” Yantis-Houser said. “It is important to provide support and care to one another as we face continuous struggles and discrimination, especially those of us who hold roles like mine and are here to support students and young people.”
