Hampton Roads Cities Score Poorly on HRC's Municipal Equality Index

Low scoring Norfolk

With all the talk by local city leaders wanting to diversify the Hampton Roads economy and to attract innovators and entrepreneurs, they are missing one of the easiest methods to send a message of being "open for business" and "all are welcome": adopt LGBT friendly policies and programs.  Richard Florida has time and time again found that a vibrant and welcomed gay community is the "canary in the coal mine" for signalling open and welcoming communities and that gays even provide a "gay index" in determining which cities are leaders in technological innovation.   The Human Rights Campaign describes it's Municipal Equality Index report:

HRC's Municipal Equality Index (MEI) demonstrates the ways that many cities can—and do— support the LGBT people who live and work there, even where states and the federal government have failed to do so.

This year's report rates a total of 291 cities from every state in the nation, representing a total population total of 77,851,822. Search below to find your city's 2013 MEI scorecard. You can also download the full 2013 MEI report here or flip through a digital version below. Click here to see how your city scored on the 2012 MEI report.

So how did the three Hampton Roads cities considered fair?  Not well at all.  Inside Business describes the scores of Newport News, Norfolk and Virginia Beach this way:

Virginia Beach scored the highest in Hampton Roads with a score of 32 out of a possible 100. The city has a non-discrimination employment clause and a human rights commission. The city also reported its 2011 hate crime statistics to the FBI, has a positive public position on LGBT equality and has made positive efforts regarding LGBT equality, the report said.

Newport News came in second, with a score of 20. The report cited the city's human rights commission, the school system's anti-bullying policies and the police department's policy of reporting hate crime statistics to the FBI.

Chesapeake came in third with a score of 15. The report cited the city's non-discrimination employment policy and the police department's reporting of hate crime statistics.

Norfolk came in last, with a score of 12. The report cited the police department's practice of reporting hate crimes and the city's domestic partner registry, which the city was "forced to stop providing as a result of a restrictive state law."

Not a stellar showing by any means.  Norfolk in particular ought to be deeply embarrassed.  How did other parts of Virginia score? Here are some localities and their scores:

Alexandria --- 70

Arlington ---- 76

Fairfax County --- 40

Richmond ---- 36

What's really scary is that compared to Southwest Virginia, Hampton Roads is progressive and down right liberal.  It's small wonder that with the closure of the textile mills and furniture factories that few businesses have wanted to relocate to Danville or Martinsville.  Anti-gay bigotry carries a high economic price.