Baton Rouge is ranked third in Louisiana when it comes to laws and policies supporting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community, according to the seventh annual Municipal Equality Index released by the Human Rights Campaign.
Baton Rouge initially scored a 36 out of 100 in the ranking but was awarded six bonus points—for a final score of 42—for services offered by the city to LGBTQ homeless and youths and to the HIV/AIDS population.
This is the highest Baton Rouge has fared in the annual ranking.
Last year, the city scored a 36 and in 2016, a 32. Baton Rouge scored a 2 out of 100 in 2012, the ranking’s first year.
The index rates 506 cities on 49 different criteria, including services and programs, law enforcement, relationship between the LGBTQ community and the city as an employer. The national average score was 58, and 78 cities in the nation made a perfect score.
In Louisiana, New Orleans was the highest ranked city with a score of 97. Shreveport came in second at 77. Two Louisiana cities, Monroe and Lake Charles, received a 0.
Read the full report, or take a look at Baton Rouge’s complete scorecard.
