VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach's Chief Strategy Officer and now LGBTQ+ Liaison, Neva White, said she knew she wanted change the second she saw her city received a 50 on its MEI (Municipal Equality Index).
The MEI measures how cities can support LGBTQ people in the area. It asses how well a city is doing by looking at its city-wide non-discrimination protections, policies for city employees, and the relationship between city leaders and the LGBTQ community.
In 2019, the Virginia Beach received a score of 77, but leaders knew it wasn't enough. So, they decided to make some changes, starting with making some of the bathrooms gender-neutral.
"We've also done a lot more programming in the last couple years than we have previously, so programming at the libraries in some cases for teens...and the aquarium did a 'Pride Night,'" said Neva White.
Neva said it's the small adjustments that make a big difference, saying, "when you're doing things like that, things that you could've been doing all along, it lets people know they're welcome to come into your spaces."
Neva White said growing up as a gay woman was not easy and often didn't feel very welcomed to Virginia Beach. So, when this MEI score came in for 2020, she was overwhelmed by how she and her team made a difference.
"I was really thrilled when that came through," said White. "I wanted to make this city more welcome for the teenager in me."