BROOKINGS – The City of Brookings is honored to have the Human Rights Campaign Foundation present Brookings’ 2018 Municipal Equality Index Score at McCrory Gardens Education & Visitor Center on Wednesday, and the public is welcome to the event. 

The program will be at 4:30 p.m., and the celebration reception will follow with hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. 

“The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is only highlighting three cities in its national announcement, and Brookings is lucky to be one of them,” according to a Brookings Human Rights Commission press release. 

The 2018 Municipal Equality Index score is a critical measure of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer inclusivity from the Human Rights Campaign, which is the nation’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization. 

Last year, Brookings had a score of 72. 

In September 2017, the Brookings City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance enacting comprehensive non-discrimination protections against LGBTQ residents based upon employment, housing and public accommodations. 

This event is to recognize this accomplishment and that Brookings is the first (and so far) only municipality in South Dakota to have such an ordinance. 

Speaking at the Wednesday event will be the mayor and staff from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Washington, D.C., office, Brookings Human Rights Commission, the Brookings LGBTQ community and Equality South Dakota.

For further information, contact City Clerk Shari Thornes at 692-6281 or sthornes@cityofbrookings.org or humanrights@cityofbrookings.org.