Park City nearly doubles equality index score from last year

Mayor Andy Beerman, Park City Council members, the city's LQBTQ+ task force, and members of the Utah Pride Center and Park City Pride in May. Photo: Park City Municipal

PARK CITY, Utah — The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) released its final scorecard for the 2021 Municipal Equality Index (MEI), an evaluation of 506 cities on how inclusive these municipalities are with their policies and services for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community. Park City Municipal scored a 70 out of a possible 100 points – nearly double the City’s 2020 score of 37.

“Park City has long been an inclusive and welcoming town for the LGBTQ+ community, but we took our MEI score last year as a challenge to make sure we not only better highlighted what practices were already in place, but we also explored new efforts through the work of the LGBTQ+ Task Force,” said Mayor Andy Beerman.

After forming the Task Force, the group engaged with the LGBTQ+ community in Park City, asking how the City could do better in terms of inclusivity. The team also highlighted LGBTQ+ liaisons at both City Hall and the Park City Police Department, and the healthcare benefits offered to same-sex couples, as well as the city leadership support and advocacy of the LGBTQ+ community.

Park City scored second in the state, only to Salt Lake City’s 100 points. It also ranked highest when compared to mountain towns across the west.

“As co-chair of the Park City LGBTQ+ Task Force and a proud transwoman, we are thrilled that Park City’s MEI score doubled from last year,” said Cami Richardson. “This is indicative of the progress we are making as leaders in the state as a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.”