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Asbury Park has scored next-to-last among the eight cities surveyed in New Jersey that measures the LGBT “friendliness” of cities across the nation, according to a report released by the Human Rights Campaign [HRC].

Nearby Ocean Grove ranked second, along with New Brunswick.

The HRC’s Municipal Equality Index scrutinizes the laws, policies, and services of municipalities and scores them from zero to 100 on the basis of their inclusiveness of the LGBT people who live and work there. A higher score reflects a more LGBT-friendly city.

Jersey City scored a perfect 100, Ocean Grove and New Brunswick both scored 77,   Lambertville and Newark 76, Paterson 60, Asbury Park 59 and Trenton 57.

A total of 291 U.S. cities were rated in the report, which considered five overall categories: non-discrimination laws in the municipality in terms of employment;  housing and public assistance; relationship recognition;  the municipality’s status as an LGBT-friendly employer; municipal services offered to the LGBT community; fairness of law enforcement in terms of their engagement with the LGBT community; and the city’s overall relationship with the LGBT community.

The 2013 report rated a total of 291 cities from every state in the nation, more than double the number of cities rated in last year’s report.

All 50 U.S. capital cities were selected for the 2013 report along with the 150 largest cities in the country, the three largest cities or municipalities in each state, every city that contains the state’s largest public university and 75 additional cities that had the highest proportion of same-sex couples.

The Human Rights Campaign is the largest LGBT equality-rights advocacy group and political lobbying organization in the United States.

Click here to access the full report.

[Shown at top: A crowd dances on the beach during a “Sandblast” weekend event, a collection of parties and events held in Asbury Park geared toward the LGBT community.]

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