State College Earns Perfect Score on LGBTQ+ Equality Rating for 5th Consecutive Year

The nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization has once again recognized State College among the most inclusive communities in the United States.

For the fifth consecutive year, the borough achieved a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index (MEI). State College was one of 129 municipalities to earn a perfect score out of 506 evaluated for the 2023 index.

Now in its 12th year, the MEI measures how municipalities support the LGBTQ+ population through laws, policies and services. Communities are rated based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality.

In Pennsylvania, State College joined Carlisle, Erie, Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in receiving a score of 100. The national city score average was 71 points, up from 69 points in 2022.

State College received a score of 77 in the 2017 MEI, and that same year the borough formed its LGBTQ Advisory Committee. A year later, the borough’s MEI score jumped to 98 and reached 100 for the first time in 2019.

See State College’s 2023 MEI scorecard online and read the full report at reports.hrc.org/municipal-equality-index-2023.