Mississippi is seeing record cases of the coronavirus topping out at nearly 2,500 in one day. Rob Hill is with the Mississippi chapter of the Human Rights Campaign. The non-profit organization advocates for equal rights for the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Queer community. He says they’ve been disproportionately affected by COVID 19.
“A higher percentage of LGBTQ people work in healthcare, work in places of accommodation in restaurants, bars and things like that. Economically they’ve been impacted in their wallet, but they’ve also been impacted by the effects of COVID on their health,” said Hill.
In the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic, the organization has released its annual scorecard looking at what cities nationwide are doing to ensure equal rights for those who are LGBTQ. Jackson scored 80 out of 100--well above the national average of 64. Hill says among the issues reviewed are --whether cities have non-discrimination laws, offer an inclusive workplace environment, as well as protections for housing and public accommodations.
“Jackson gets an 80 because they have a non-discrimination ordinance. They have a non-discrimination policy for their city employees. They have a human rights commission that checks into this when there is a dispute or a claim of discrimination,” said Hill.
The report looked at nine cities in the state including Gulfport which scored a 13 out of 100, Hattiesburg a 38 and Starkville 16. Hill says they’re encouraging city officials to put laws in place to protect the rights of the LGBTQ community.
