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Long Beach Scores Perfect Marks in National LGBTQ+ Equality Index
By Staff Writer
Published on Wed, Dec 3, 2025
Long Beach has once again been recognized as one of the country’s leading cities for LGBTQ+ inclusion, earning a higher than perfect score on the 2025 Municipal Equality Index.
This marks the 14th consecutive year Long Beach has achieved top marks in the nationwide assessment, which evaluates how well local governments support and protect LGBTQ+ residents.
The annual index, created by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, looks at municipal laws, policies and services. Scores range from 0 to 100, with an opportunity for bonus points that highlight programs and protections that are harder for some cities to implement.
This year, Long Beach earned full points in several key categories as well as 18 bonus points—its highest total ever—and was among 132 cities to reach a perfect score out of 506 evaluated nationwide.
Long Beach received the maximum score for non-discrimination laws and added bonus points for having all-gender single-occupancy restrooms and protections for youth from conversion therapy.
The City reached full points for its role as an inclusive employer, gaining an additional point for domestic partner benefits. Long Beach also earned full points for its law enforcement policies and for leadership on LGBTQ+ equality, with bonus points recognizing openly LGBTQ+ leaders and ongoing efforts to navigate restrictive state laws.
Additionally, the report highlighted the City’s services supporting LGBTQ+ youth, older adults, residents living with HIV or AIDS, and the transgender community, resulting in eight bonus points.
While more cities than ever before achieved perfect scores this year, the national average dipped slightly for the first time in seven years. The contrast underscores the significance of Long Beach’s continued work in this area, especially as many communities across the country face political uncertainty related to LGBTQ+ rights.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, which produces the index, is the nation’s largest civil rights organization focused on advancing equality for LGBTQ+ people. Read the full 2025 report here.
