Inclusive cities are more competitive, a new report suggests.
The Open for Business 2022 City Ratings is a ranking of 145 cities based on their economic performance and inclusion of LGBTQ+ communities – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or questioning) and others.
Overall, wealthier cities tend to be more LGBTQ+ inclusive, the authors say.
Here are some key findings.
Amsterdam is the world’s most open for business city for the second year in a row. The Netherlands capital is a “strong global beacon” for LGBTQ+ inclusion and has the “most welcoming social attitudes” towards the LGBTQ+ community of any city in the 2022 ratings, according to the authors. There are very few legal barriers for LGBTQ+ people in Amsterdam. It is illegal to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people in employment or access to goods and services. Amsterdam’s business strengths include an “exceptional” performance in entrepreneurship and a “booming” start-up scene.
Boston is the only city in the United States with a triple-A rating in the report. It is one of several cities and states in the United States that have banned conversion therapy. This is typically psychological, medical or faith-based therapy designed to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The United Nations compares these practices to torture. Boston ranked second globally on innovation and has the highest number of elite universities per capita of any city in the ratings.
London also scores a top AAA rating in the index. The British capital is known as a “stalwart supporter” of LGBTQ+ inclusion and equality, according to the report. London has some of the highest levels of innovation and human capital – skills and knowledge – out of the 145 cities included in the ratings. The UK government, however, announced in April 2022 that transgender people would not be included in its long-awaited ban on conversion therapy. This could have “negative repercussions” for London’s AAA rating in the future, the authors say.
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