Iowa cities rise in Human Rights Campaign’s LGBTQ ratings

With marked improvements in cities across the state, Iowa is one of several states whose municipalities continue to affirm policies inclusive of LGBTQ residents, despite setbacks for them from new state laws.

New Municipal Equality Index ratings from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation awarded Iowa cities an average of 94 out of 100 points — an increase of 4 points over last year. Data from the foundation, an educational arm of the nation’s largest civil rights organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer — or LGBTQ — Americans, shows a trend happening in Iowa that largely mirrors trends happening in other states that have passed anti-LGBTQ laws over the last year.

Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Dubuque, Iowa City and West Des Moines are among 129 cities in the country that achieved the index’s perfect score of 100 points — a record for the report. The other cities rated in Iowa — Ames, Des Moines, Sioux City and Waterloo — scored substantially better than the national average of 71 points.

The annual ratings, conducted separately from state-level ratings, score cities on multiple criteria including non-discrimination policies, inclusivity in municipal services, law enforcement engagement, hate crime reporting and policies that affect health care access for transgender residents.

“Cities and towns are stepping up each and every day, finding new and innovative ways to empower LGBTQ+ people in the face of a dire national state of emergency,” said Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “This year’s Municipality Equality Index shows the results of their dedication, while acknowledging the increasingly hostile environment in which they must govern.”

With new laws in Iowa that have banned gender-affirming health care for youth and removed books involving LGBTQ themes and authors from school libraries, the Hawkeye State is one of several such as Florida and Texas where cities have doubled down on welcoming LGBTQ residents despite new legislation, the results indicate.

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For the first time since the foundation’s index started in 2012, fewer cities are providing transgender-inclusive health care benefits to municipal employees and their families — a result of laws that have impacted the accessibility of such benefits. The state-level ratings of Iowa, which likely will be more heavily impacted by new laws like Senate File 482, are expected to drop substantially next year.

A local line of defense

Through actions that buttress inclusive policies, such as hiring managers for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, many of Iowa’s city governments continue to take pride in maintaining high ratings from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

“City governments — the government closest to the people — know how important it is to be welcoming and inclusive and are always trying to improve a community,” said Cathryn Oakley, founding author of the Municipal Equality Index, state legislative director and senior council member of the Human Rights Campaign. “There are a series of cities in Iowa who understand how important it is that if people are going to invest in a future, in a specific location, that they have to know they are living in a place that respects and welcomes them for who they are.”

While a city’s efforts can never entirely separate it from the crosswinds of the state it’s located in — Iowa City will always be in Iowa, Oakley said — its city policies can still have an impact.

In cities like Cedar Rapids, which earned a perfect score for the seventh time this year, it’s a sign that support systems continue to stand strong.

“It’s a challenging landscape, but I think we’ve been focused on excelling at saying ‘regardless of what’s going on, you’re welcomed here, you’re accepted here,’” said Elizabeth Buch, the diversity, equity and inclusion manager for the city of Cedar Rapids. “And if you feel otherwise, you have people here at the city who are your allies, and you can bring up issues.”

Buch said that some look to the index as a closer proxy of the culture on the ground. For businesses and corporations, which may look at state and municipal scores in determining where to centralize operations or make moves, the scores can largely be a sign of how difficult it will be to attract and retain talent with an LGBTQ community that intersects with virtually every other demographic.

The annual report also ties in well with other city efforts to attract workforce diversity, establish a more inclusive culture and increase community engagement, Buch said. Over the last two years, city staff across departments have volunteered to help throw the first Pride parade in Cedar Rapids, host a booths at ethnic festival celebrations and make a presence at Juneteenth events.

“During these festivals, we heard comments from the community on how impactful it was that we were there, that their local government was saying ‘we’re here, we support you,’” Buch said. “We need to be in these spaces, because we’re seen by the community as an important agency.”

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Maintaining a perfect score year after year in the index is no easy task, Oakley noted.

“This achievement reflects collaborative efforts across city government organization,” said Cedar Rapids City Manager Jeff Pomeranz. “A perfect score illustrates our city’s commitment to equality and inclusion for all. We will persist in carrying these efforts forward across our government, ensuring all can share in our community’s benefits.”

Work ahead

No matter the improvements, the score only tells one part of the story.

“People may utilize the MEI to find friendlier places to live or move to in Iowa, but nothing a municipality can do will reverse a health care ban,” said Courtney Reyes, director of One Iowa, an LGBTQ advocacy nonprofit.

But amid a bleak landscape for the LGBTQ community, advocates say there are glimmers of hope. Some local elections and school board races have shown a departure in opinion from the ones dominating headlines from the Iowa Capitol.

“Cities may be improving, but the citizens are showing up in a big way to create collective power,” Reyes said. “What is happening in the Legislature is not a good indicator of the beliefs of the average Iowan. The encouraging news for LGBTQ Iowans is that when the legislature attacks LGBTQ people, local governments and school boards tend to step up and try to mitigate the damage.”

Reyes hopes city councils and businesses will use their platforms more often to speak out against disparaging policies. As diversity and inclusion efforts are politicized, some cities and businesses have become hesitant to push forward on issues that could make them the targets of “fabricated culture wars,” Oakley said.

“I think … progress is being made and we will ultimately be triumphant,” she said. “But it’s scary and sad for folks whose lives are being thrown into incredible turmoil as the price for politicians to get these clicks.”

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.