Owensboro recently scored the lowest of eight Kentucky cities rated in a report on LGBTQ+ inclusion. The study was conducted by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization in the country. Owensboro officials and local advocates for equality are wondering about the next steps for the city and what the report means.
Mayor Tom Watson said that both city officials and the Owensboro Human Relations Commission (OHRC) were “blindsided” by the report, as neither entity filed for a review.
“We don’t even know what questions were asked. We don’t know how they were asked, if they were ‘true or false’ or if they were ‘yes or no.’ There is just such little information about this,” Watson said.
The report is called the Municipal Equality Index, and Human Rights Campaign Foundation President Kelley Robinson started the report with with an intro letter that states the MEI is a “benchmarking tool designed to inform municipal officials, policy makers and business leaders on how well cities across the nation embody LGBTQ+ inclusion in their laws, policies, and services.”
The MEI scores cities based on five criteria: Non-Discrimination Laws, Municipality as an Employer, Services and Programs, Law Enforcement, and Leadership on LGBTQ+ Equality.
Out of a possible 100 points total across all five categories, Owensboro received 38. That broke down as follows:
- 20 of 30 possible points for Non-Discrimination Laws
- 0 of 28 possible points for Municipality as an Employer
- 5 of 12 possible points for Services and Programs
- 12 of 22 possible points for Law Enforcement
- 1 of 8 possible points for Leadership on LGBTQ+ Equality
Other Kentucky cities rated included Berea (score of 55), Bowling Green (40), Covington (100), Frankfort (66), Lexington (100), Louisville (100), and Morehead (65).
City Manager Nate Pagan said that he too was not familiar with the index prior to seeing the MEI. However, he plans to have conversations with the OHRC to discuss some of the results.
“It’s a report we’re looking at right now. It really wasn’t anything we were particularly familiar with. So we’re kind of trying to get it and digest it, which is what we’re doing now,” Pagan said.
During an OHRC meeting Tuesday, Chair Jaklyn Hill said she was familiar with the Human Relations Campaign as an organization. After seeing the results, she hopes that she and OHRC will be able to effectively help raise the scores.
“Even if we improve and get a 39, I’d be happy, because that means we did something,” Hill said.
She hopes the results start a discussion in the community about how to effectively make change for minority populations throughout the city.
Prior to knowing about the results, City Commissioner Bob Glenn made a remark during a conference that there are social and economic downsides to having government officials that are racist and homophobic (though he did not claim that any local officials were labeled as such).
Glenn said he doesn’t think the results are a true representation of the inclusiveness in Owensboro, but said they are evidence of how the economy can be negatively affected by certain policies, or the lack thereof.
“I think our community is a loving, caring community. I don’t think [the results] totally reflect the nature of Owensboro, but on the other hand, it does reflect that we haven’t done enough for minority stakeholders in our community, including the LGBTQ community. There’s no doubt we haven’t done enough of that,” Glenn said.
While he thinks the city has made progress toward racial diversity, such as renaming Moneta Sleet Jr. Park, he said that’s just one piece of the puzzle.
“That doesn’t help the LGBTQ community, which has basically been abandoned and ignored as if they don’t exist, but they do exist. They run businesses, they’re educators, they’re leaders,” Glenn said. “So yes, there’s absolutely no doubt that we’re not recognizing them and we need to, in a sense, recognize that they have a right to participate fully in our civic life just like everybody else.
Commissioner Mark Castlen added that while there may still be some who struggle with embracing diversity, overall the city and community are moving toward being more progressive and accepting. He noted the drag shows occuring at Ghostlight Lounge are a prime example of this.
“There’s always a conflict in anything that you do. I see a gradual change. I see more happiness amongst the community in general. And I feel like we’re becoming more accommodating to all people. That’s what our form of government is all about, is being open and welcoming to all people,” Castlen said.
Glenn said he thinks the results of the MEI may reignite discussions about what the implications could be if the City does not pass a fairness ordinance.
While Castlen said he agrees the diversity is already on an upswing, he said a fairness ordinance is not needed in the community and that Owensboro is not missing opportunities because of the lack of an ordinance.
To read more about the MEI and how it works, click here. For Owensboro’s scorecard, click here.
