For the first time, the city of Lexington attained a perfect score in the national Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality annual Index.
The civil rights organization each year rates cities on how inclusive municipal laws, policies, and services are of their gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities.
The score of 106 for Lexington is the highest received by any city in the Commonwealth. Lexington was the first county in the state to pass a fairness ordinance in 1999. Since then, the urban county council has passed domestic partner benefits for government employees, passed a ban on youth conversion therapy, and held the annual Pride Festival.
Debra Hensley, a former council member and longstanding businesswoman said, quote, “Over the past two decades we’ve had hard-working leaders, like our current mayor, administration and Council, focused on strengthening our community’s diversity. It is times like this that I am so proud of all that we have accomplished, and I look forward to future celebrations of equity and inclusion.” Lexington has been rated by the Human Rights Campaign since 2013.
