CITY OF YONKERS ATTAINS PERFECT SCORE FOR SIXTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR ON MUNICIPAL EQUALITY INDEX

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Yonkers Rated as One of the Top U.S. Cities Exhibiting LGBTQ Inclusion in Municipal Law & Policy

YONKERS, NY – December 3, 2020 – The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, in partnership with the Equality Federation Institute, this week released its ninth annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI www.hrc.org/mei), the only nationwide rating system of LGBTQ inclusion in municipal law and policy, scoring the City of Yonkers with a perfect 100 for the sixth consecutive year. Yonkers was one of five cities in New York to receive a perfect score and one of 94 nationally out of 506 surveyed.

“Our administration continually works toward full equality amongst our residents and employees,” said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. “We are once again extremely proud to be part of the growing list of communities with a perfect score on the Municipal Equality Index. Our rating reflects diversity as Yonkers’ greatest strength and the respect we have for one another, regardless of who you love.”

Yonkers was specifically recognized for the following categories on its 2020 MEI Scorecard (https://bit.ly/33GuCyi):

  • Non-discrimination Laws
  • Municipality as Employer
  • Municipal Services
  • Law Enforcement
  • Leadership on LGBTQ Equality

Michael Sabatino, Yonkers Director of Constituent Services/Former City Council Majority Leader stated, “I am proud to know that Yonkers was one of 94 cities nationwide to score a perfect score on the Municipal Equality Index.  We can attribute this to the hard work of Mayor Spano’s administration and the Mayor’s LGBTQ advisory board.   Yonkers is truly a diverse city where our residents are respected and embraced regardless of their ethnicity, religion or their sexual orientation.  We promote a safe environment that allows everyone to co-exist and creates an atmosphere that allows all to contribute to the betterment of the City of Yonkers. Congratulations to all.”

Anthony Nicodemo Chair of  Mayor Spano’s LGBTQ Advisory Board stated “The fact that Yonkers has earned a 100% shows how the city has embraced the spirit of inclusion. Mayor Spano and the City Council has made a concerted effort to embrace and support the LGBTQ community. Yonkers is a terrific place for LGBTQ people to live work and play.”

The 2020 MEI reveals that cities across the nation are not waiting for their states to extend vital protections to the LGBTQ community, nor are they intimidated by some state elected officials threatening to deny cities the ability to extend fully-inclusive protections to their residents and workers. This year, 94 cities earned perfect scores for advancing fully-inclusive policies and practices — at a time when the nation has been seeing a record number of anti-LGBTQ measures proposed by state elected officials bent on promoting discrimination.