Jefferson City, Missouri, ranks poorly for LGBT support, report says
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's capital city scored poorly in a recent ranking of U.S. cities evaluating which places offer the most support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people.
The Kansas City Star reports Jefferson City was one of just 10 cities that received a score of "zero" in the report compiled by the Human Rights Campaign's report. The group advocates on behalf of the LGBT community.
The rankings of more than 500 U.S. cities are based on factors such as whether a city prohibits discrimination against gay and lesbian people, whether city services are offered to the LGBT community and whether the city has leaders who publicly support pro-equality legislation.
But Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin told the Kansas City Star she believes there aren't any ordinances about LGBT rights because there have been few issues in the city. She also said she'd support future ordinances to prevent business owners from firing workers over their sexual orientation or gender identity.
"I support that concept," she said. "Because we should not fire -- we should not tolerate discrimination, period."