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Orlando's LGBTQ inclusion efforts pay off in big ways for city

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando is once again making headlines for being a model city for inclusion of LGBTQ people, and it could mean big money for the city.

Long before the Orlando Police Department responded to the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, Lt. Jim Young had been working on training programs to help officers connect with the  LGBTQ community.

“Creating a policy on interactions with transgender persons so everyone is educated and can do the right thing,” Young said.

So he wasn’t surprised to hear Orlando does it best when it comes to policies and practices for the LGBTQ community.

The city scored 100 percent in the municipal equality index, which is the only nationwide system that rates cities on the practices Orlando has had in place for years. Those practices include maintaining a domestic partner registry--Orlando's lists more than 1,300 couples--and including the LGBTQ community in anti-discrimination policies.

“It’s hard to score 100 percent ,and it’s great to see Orlando being rewarded for amazing work,” Young said. "The world looked at Orlando as theme parks and tourism, and that was it. Now, the world is seeing Orlando is so much more. It's a great inclusive community and they're there for everyone.”