The so-called “Corporate Equality Index” (CEI) from the radical left-wing Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has gained plenty of attention in recent years as one of the primary engines behind the rise of corporate wokeism. But HRC has another lesser-known ratings system, the “Municipal Equality Index” (MEI), that is driving woke policies in city governments – and may even be rewarding city officials for breaking state laws.
HRC published its first edition of the CEI in 2002, a 100-point scale supposedly designed to score companies on how “inclusive” and accommodating they are to minority groups. Over time, however, the CEI has metastasized into a tool for the left to force corporate compliance with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies and LGBT ideology.
In order for companies to obtain a high CEI score, they must not only employ members of the LGBT community, but also explicitly and publicly endorse transgender rights, work with transgender influencers, and visibly participate in events such as pride parades.
But why do companies care so much about having a good CEI score?
For starters, CEI ratings are relayed to administrators at elite universities. Companies with a poor score may struggle to attract top talent from the Ivy League or other renowned schools.
Additionally, major financial firms also care about CEI scores. Venture capitalists may be hesitant to invest in companies with low CEI ratings for fear that they could face public backlash. As part of the so-called “environmental, social, and governance” (ESG) investing movement, firms are more likely to invest in companies with high CEI scores.
In effect, HRC has succeeded in convincing investors, employers, employees, and many consumers that a company’s CEI score matters – giving HRC broad power to dictate corporate policy on contentious social issues by threatening to tank a brand’s CEI rating. As political podcaster James Lindsay told The New York Post last year, the Human Rights campaign administers the CEI ranking “like an extortion racket, like the Mafia.”
Moreover, the Post reports that HRC “sends representatives to corporations every year telling them what kind of stuff they have to make visible at the company” – a list that includes pride flags and demonstrations of corporate loyalty to DEI dogma.
While the CEI controversy has been well-documented for years, MEI, launched in 2011, is less known to the general public but may nonetheless be even more effective at infusing left-wing ideology in American culture.
According to HRC’s MEI guidelines, cities lose points if municipal buildings have “sex-segregated facilities” – or restrooms specifically for men and women. Points are also awarded if city employees receive “transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits” – in other words, taxpayer-funded sex change operations.
Cities receive two points if they have policies explicitly banning so-called “conversion therapy,” which includes counseling to help youth confused about their biological sex. Two more points are awarded for having “LGBTQ-inclusive diversity training for all city staff.”
Even more alarmingly, city governments can apparently earn points for violating city or state laws that conflict with LGBT ideology. According to the MEI criteria, points are awarded to cities that are actively “testing the limits of state restrictions” in states that have instituted policies like a prohibition on biological males using women’s restroom and locker room facilities. This provision can be interpreted as tacitly encouraging city officials to find workarounds to state laws protecting female-only spaces.
Additionally, cities earn three points on the MEI index for “how actively the city has been pursuing pro-equality laws and policies.” HRC will also deduct MEI points if city officials are recorded saying anything that questions LGBT ideology, including raising concerns about hormone therapy and gender transition surgery for minors.
Recent stories about individuals being charged with felony hate crimes for scuffing gay pride flags painted onto city streets are one prominent example of MEI in action. Under the MEI guidelines, cities are awarded points for painting the flags – and for prosecuting those who are accused of defacing them. (Of course, many of these same cities refuse to prosecute actual criminals.)
In the case of the MEI, every city that gets a glowing rating from HRC enjoys positive media attention and a greater chance of attracting corporate interests also looking to boost their CEI scores. Furthermore, city officials can use their MEI rating as a “resume booster” for future employment with liberal organizations. Officials who are particularly aggressive in pushing LGBT ideology are awarded glowing praise from HRC and invitations to high-profile events hosted by the organization.
While many Americans are rightly opposed to corporations pushing controversial left-wing social politics and LGBT ideology, ultimately private companies can make these choices as they see fit and the free market will reply in kind – as it has in instances like the Bud Light controversy.
However, MEI presents a far more alarming prospect – that of a radical left-wing nonprofit group using its political and cultural influence to pressure city officials into compliance with an extremist partisan agenda. While most officials in major cities are already progressive Democrats and likely agree with HRC on most fronts, voters at the very least deserve to know more about the shadowy entities influencing their elected leaders.
Andrew Shirley is a veteran speechwriter and AMAC Newsline columnist. His commentary can be found on X at @AA_Shirley.
As I keep stating is that the only thing ”
Progressive” about today’s
Democratic Party is that it is Progressively Communist!
Overall, the Left continues to force their ideology unto corporations and cities to divide the country against each other. The current administration continues to support this ideology under the guise that all support this nonsense. The cities that have been taken over by these Left wingers need to vote out these idiots and put in representatives that will correct their problems and make policies that are fair to all. For corporations, there is much equal and better talent out there besides the Ivy schools which are now nothing more than cesspools.
I hope the republicans end all funding for everything in all democrat run states. I also want them to cut all government employment by 50%
57 different genders they say but they can’t provide the definition of Just ONE? Gavin passed a law where teachers CAN’T notify parents of their childrens health & well-being. This is the Democrats Great White Hope? Dippity-Do Guido? “Don’t tell the parents!” is the hallmark of a pedophile and the motto of the DNC.
There needs to be a national law that gives citizens in cities, or states that comply with initiatives like these the right to abstain and opt out from paying taxes until these entities 100% stop engaging in furthering this evil racist, immoral, and inhumane agenda whether it is DEI, MEI, CEI, ESG, HRC, CRT, LGBTQ, …Whatever alphabet soup obfuscation label they apply it is intended to tear down the family, isolate the individual, discourage faith, hope, and the belief in God. To maim and disfigure what was created in the image of God, and raise perversion, murder of the innocent, and the worship of the most ruthless, corrupt and perverted to the status of an idol. These policies need to be opposed at every turn, until they are obliterated from the face of the Earth. They are just as immoral and wrong as slavery, sexual exploitation, amd the racist ideas of the KKK, Nazis, and Black Panthers. There is no place for such evil in America! To remain silent is to further that agenda!
DEI must DIE………………………….
Just stand for what is right. When I was told at my county job that we were ‘family’, I immediately told them that ‘this is my job and my co-workers, my family is at home.’ Not a popular thing to say but definitely needed to draw the line! And another thing that happened constantly at work was the participation of the county in pride marches, black lives matter garbage, etc. I reminded my boss that if the county is to treat everyone equally, then they are to stop participating in activities that single out groups of people. I am now retired (not fired) thankfully, before the ‘plandemic’ started!
When Trump enters the presidential office he’ll make sure everyone can get some sleep instead of being woke all the time.
The only people that should be rated by what they do in bed are prostitutes.
Talk about the government in Your Bedroom.
These communists (democrats) descend to the lowest human form when all they do is pander to the lowest human traits of envy, greed and jealousy to achieve their goals which are the exact opposite of what America is and stands for.
When will these people wake up? biden is a puppet! He is being used!
Only Blue cities qualify OK
Lets teach the LEFT a serious lesson at the ballot box Nov.6th, end this Anti-American BS once and for all!
The Left’s desire to make large cities “Woke” is about cultivating a leftist culture in those cities . They do this by “buying” the votes of certain targeted groups . For college kids , the DEMOCRATs are trying to buy their votes by illegally cancelling their student loans . For blacks , the left wants to “buy” their votes by giving them a small stipend to help with their rent and other tiny things. But they never actually help blacks to rise up and get out of their dependency on the Democrat ruled cities and States. This is what’s called the ‘ New Democrat Plantation’ . And now , the DEMOCRAT have found a new way to make cities and States go “Woke” . They are importing millions of immigrants into the Democrat ruled cities and States in order to build up the population so they can create new Congressional Districts. The DEMOCRATs are using the immigrants as pawns to create new Congressional Districts for themselves . For DEMOCRATS , is all about power .
CEI, MEI, DEI etc etc are mandating, demanding to follow their guidelines on how to operate their business. Force minority groups into visibility and push the majority out. Trans, LGBT etc, illegal migrants have to be visible. And the majority has to shut up. And they talk about America losing their freedom under Trump. I was at my drs office and saw a huge pride flag hanging in the waiting room that said, we treat everyone equal here. Meaning the LGBT etc group? Because I don’t fall under that flag. Everyone else is excluded. The majority. If you have to order and or mandate these minorities all you are creating is resentment and hate. And that is when you get assassins and school shootings or bars and dancehall massacres. The left don’t want to talk they dictate and this CEI etc is a means to that end. It is every where, business, churches, city halls. All of us walk in line, don’t think they will do that for us. They are the ones that know it all. NOT.
I’d like to see a list of nearby cities with their MEI scores. If I need to do business in another city I’ll check for a good choice by looking at the list starting from the bottom.
If you go woke hopefully you go broke.I am very careful and most of the time I can find what I want in a traditional pro AMERICAN company.Sometimes you have to go out of the loop to get what you want,not often.I am the same with china junk,i’ll pay more to buy AMERICAN,and again,thank you joey,your a peach.
This is simply a vain effort to re-establish the social and economic “pecking order”, in a way that would give Democrat candidates more money and votes.
Please take a good look at California, and examine its woke fanaticism. It’s a cursed state because of the ghouls who control it. They are reaping a harvest of sorrows for their ideology.
This article is greatly appreciated Andrew, Praise for what you wrote here ! To identify the corruption that the communist sympathizers are promoting and what it signifies in terms of how something like a city government can be influenced — this is important stuff for sure. I believe very much in having a respectful, uplifting sense of humor and done appropriately it can be mixed with the serious things in order to gain a good understanding of situations at times. So, in the having some fun with words category — how about the Corporate Equality Index. or CEI and the Municipal Equality Index or MEI — taking those two abbreviations and putting them together for Cei Mei — like in a question — See me ? And the answer could be something like — We sure do see you and we don’t want or need any of your politically abbreviated stuff either. It isn’t our cup of tea and it never will be. We have better things to do — like defending the God given right to be Free Our Declaration of Independence is one of the best things that ever happened in this world. And the principles of Honor , honesty, integrity, courage and loyalty. are solid sources of strength for good character and having a noble sense of purpose in this life.
I think the major issue is the concentration of people in major cities-which provide security and succor to minorities and other underachieving parts of our society. At the price of poor health, pollution, exposure to intense filth, drugs, mugging, etc.
I have avoided these environments for most of my life by choice. 15 years in an Alaskan town of 3000 people, 30 years in the Hill Country of Texas in an unincorporated town of 1800 people with the best education system in Central Texas.
I never had to deal with any of these dysfunctional issues. Why do other people?
Large cities are already lost to liberal, woke government officials. Quality of life is no longer important to these folks. They push gender education into primary schools, so that kids who might otherwise be focused on reading, writing and arithmetic are given formal education that makes them wonder if their birth sex is valid. They make conscious decisions not to punish criminals (especially if they are minorities), deciding that there are too many minorities in prison without bothering to look at actual arrest statistics. The rest of us might point out that the nightly news surveillance pictures of perpetrators are heavily skewed toward minorities. Cops in NYC can’t even record the ethnicity of people they encounter unless they make arrests. Yet citizens in these cities largely don’t bother to vote, and those who do, vote for liberals who push this woke liberal garbage. Wealth flight from many cities inexplicably doesn’t seem to bother the politicians either.
It’s bad enough they are trying to pevert the children isn’t it, huh?? In order for companies to obtain a high CEI score, they must not only employ members of the LGBT community, but also explicitly and publicly endorse transgender rights, work with transgender influencers, and visibly participate in events such as pride parades. God help us, VOTE them out and GONE!!
Hmmm…another set of initials, “hrc”, that suck!
Seems to me todays corporations should be shunning ‘talent’ from Ivy league and other ‘renouned’ schools since these days all that come out of them are little commies incapable of any function other than whining. That said, this entire agenda looks an awfully lot like what the Nazis did.
How Disgusting and Anti-American! And this was fostered by an org. that uses Hillary’s initials for its Title!!! think that’s just coincidence??? What these people have DONE to our country is INSANE.
I assume this article is written about Dem cities in Dem-run states. I can’t see much of this happening in a GOP-run state or city.
Excellent informative article. Where can I go to find how my own city scores?
Speaking of leading by following, so much for the WEF agenda.
The left keeps tossing out ideas. And they should be tossed – right into the trash. They never seem to evaluate or analyze the pros vs cons.
WOKE, DEI, CRT and other ideological exigencies we face are straight out of Marxism 101. They are Anti-American, treacherous and disloyal to this country and its founding tenets. The ignore God and are atheistic in principle and belief.
Unfortunate this information is not available to the masses. Media is so far left they would fall off earth if the planet was flat. Still,voting the average person should be more curious about key issues in order to make informed decisions.
Go WOKE go BROKE … No common sense . That is why Trump is getting us back to our grass roots .. J D Vance , no silver spoon in his mouth . Trump wants loyalty & someone who knows what work is !
Sounds like a Nazsi agenda to me , the political wanna be leaders in the white house and thru out America who are left wing , have become sick demented and evil . They should not be in a leaders position. Obama is the main cause of this seen he was pushing the same thing when he was actually the president as he is doin now . He has been the one running this country right when Biden became president. We have a run away corrupt government in America ,and let’s hope we can get it under control before its to late.
The CEI scores given out by the HRC sound suspiciously similar to the “citizen scores” that Communist China assigns to it’s people. Do what the HRC wants, and you get rewarded. If not, suffer the consequences.
Go WOKE. Go BROKE.
The way you pull the rug out from underneath the DEI movement is with the purse, just just do not spend money with companies that actively support dysphoric activities and lifestyle.
Very good article and thanks for sharing however it’s MARXISM FANTASIZING ABOUT POWER
President Trump clean out the swamp !!!!
This sounds more like Bullying rather than sound business practice. Companies are allowing these corrupt organizations who care nothing about the people they say they are standing for, they only care that their agenda is achieved which is in my opinion communism. These companies need to wake up and stand up for themselves and not be Bullied to go against their values.
A den of snakes! Trump wins, and hopefully someone else with strong leadership after him!
This is an insidious, creepy form of manipulation to push the “woke” agendas. It needs to be more publicly explained for what it is: manipulation and coercion.
how can any one in America vote for these pos!!!!! they should all leave if they hate this country so much – we don’t want or need them!
Who dreams up this crap? So.much busy non-profit I’ve busy work that amounts to nothing! These. Leftist creeps must live in underground bunkers feeding off each look there to see how far they can bend us before we break. Crush ’em!
Could we be more categorized divided confused and abused ?What does for example equality really mean? If I am an employed working always had been living in the house and my neighbor is an unemployable drug user bum who never worked we obviously are not equal Must I become a bum or must he become a productive drug free in order to be equal? Same with the cities Must all become destroyed and inhabitable crime ridden or must all be cleaned up crime under control no druggies on the streets Absurdity or insanity do not describe the policies that are being thought up and forced on all of us
One good thing about this BS, employers (not government) don’t want and are not hiring graduates from the elite universities, good to see something backfiring????