Stamford Receives Perfect Score from the Human Rights Campaign

From the City of Stamford: Mayor David Martin proudly announced that for the second year in a row, Stamford has received a perfect 100 in the Human Rights Campaign’s 2017 Municipal Equality Index. Stamford was one of 68 other cities nationally to receive a perfect score, and received the highest score of any Connecticut city. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) releases this yearly index for 506 municipalities all over the United States to show residents how their city supports LGBTQ people who live and work there.

“I am thrilled with our city’s perfect score, up 35 points since I took office,” said Mayor Martin. “While this is great news, it doesn’t mean that our work stops now. We live in an incredibly diverse city where all residents deserve fair and equal treatment, no matter how they identify,” said Mayor Martin.

Stamford’s commitment to LGBTQ equality was exemplified in June when the Mayor requested the LGBTQ Pride flag be flown in front of the Government Center in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month. Mayor Martin started this tradition in 2016 after the horrific shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando.

The Connecticut towns & cities scored were Bridgeport, Fairfield, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford, Storrs (Mansfield), and Waterbury. The average score for Connecticut towns and cities is 74, well-above the national average of 57. The next closest score to Stamford’s 100 is Hartford with 96.

One of the items scored in this year’s scorecard was whether the city had LGBT liaisons to the city and police department. In July 2015, Mayor Martin appointed Assistant Police Chief Tom Wuennemann and Deputy Corporation Counsel Vikki Cooper as the City’s LGBT liaisons. They have been appointed to ensure concerns of LGBTQ residents can be heard and acted upon.

In addition to Cooper and Chief Wuennemann, the City has received feedback and guidance on LGBTQ issues from the Triangle Community Center (TCC), the LGBTQ center for Fairfield County, based in Norwalk.

To view the City’s scorecard, click here.

Image via Pixabay