How State College got a perfect equality index score for LGBTQ community protections
For the first time ever, State College received a perfect score on the Municipal Equality Index released Tuesday by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the country’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization.
In conjunction with the index’s release, members of the HRC joined State College Mayor Don Hahn and other community leaders for an event to commend the state of LGBTQ affairs in State College.
Alphonso David, HRC director, said the organization chose to release its eighth index in State College because of the great strides the community took to become more inclusive, both in policies and resources offered.
“We want to demonstrate to every municipality and locality that’s thinking about this, ‘You can do it too.’ You should be supporting pro-equality and inclusive policies,” he said. “And if you can look at State College, in the middle of Pennsylvania, where most people think — incorrectly — but they think that they wouldn’t have these policies, we want to show them that they do.”
The MEI is the only nationwide assessment that measures LGBTQ inclusion in municipal law and policy. Currently, 506 cities are participating in the index. For Pennsylvania municipalities, the average score is 90 out of 100. State College — along with Allentown, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh — has a score of 100.
State College, which scored 98 last year and 77 the year before, has come a long way, said Borja Gutierrez, co-chair of the borough’s LGBTQA Advisory Committee. Since 2017 when the committee was established by council, State College implemented gender neutral bathrooms in the municipal building and parking garages, council voted to ban conversion therapy for minors in State College, established a borough liason for the LGBTQ community and advisory committee.
This year, the borough increased the amount of gender neutral bathrooms, implemented an all-inclusive workplace policy, ensured domestic partners of borough employees receive work and health benefits, hung Pride banners for the first time in downtown State College and displayed a Pride month flag in the municipal building, Gutierrez said.
State College Councilman Dan Murphy, the first openly gay member elected to council, said he was thrilled about the borough’s perfect MEI score and proud of the advisory committee’s work, though he acknowledged areas of growth moving forward.
He said there are opportunities for State College to lead and work with the Centre Region municipalities in implementing similar non-discriminatory policies and protections for LGBTQ people, continue to look at all legislation and policy with a critical eye toward the impact on LGBTQ communities and expand the borough’s Pride celebration in a way that leverages community support and welcomes younger generations to call the borough home.
Policy changes are important, said David, because “we have the federal government stripping away protections that LGBT people have had for decades. So it’s even more important that states and localities take the affirmative step to protect LGBTQ people. And second, we should have inclusive policies. Policies should be equal for all.”
Beyond policy, an inclusive climate, support services, community engagement and LGBTQ programming have been extremely important in creating a safe and welcoming environment for queer people in State College, said Freddy Purnell, president of the Penn State LGBTQ Student Roundtable.
“When I did arrive here, I noticed how accepting the community was, both on campus and off campus,” he said. “And how there were resources available such as the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity on campus and places downtown that also made sure that promoting equality and supporting queer people was at the forefront of their objectives.”
Claire Thomas, a Penn State associate professor of biology and founder of the LGBT-inclusive nonprofit 100% Sign, said over the 26 years she’s called State College home, there are many businesses, people, nonprofits and dedicated public servants that make it more inclusive. Events organized locally for the LGBT community, such as drag bingo and open mic nights, help support and affirm those with different gender or sexual identities, she said.
David said that while the MEI is a guide for municipalities to step up their policies to advance equality, it also serves as a tool for new businesses wanting to relocate to an area or a push for established businesses to change their policies.
“The goal is not just to focus on urban areas or large cities. Because LGBTQ people live in every single part of this country,” he said. “So we need to make sure that every locality is looking to see how they can increase visibility for LGBTQ people and also make sure ... that there’s laws and regulations that protect them.”
Above all, said Murphy, it’s important for State College to lead the municipalities in the region and beyond to help all LGBTQ people live freely. In Pennsylvania, LGBTQ people can still be legally discriminated against in the workplace or in housing applications.
“While we’ve put protections in place locally, those same protections don’t apply across the commonwealth,” he said. “From a place of celebration, we need to then turn that into motivation to help our neighbors to make sure that LGBTQ individuals across the commonwealth and across the country have that same peace of mind and protection that we’ve afforded to people here.”
This story was originally published November 19, 2019 at 4:55 PM.
.jpg)