Tue. November 14, 2017
The number of companies earning top marks for how they treat their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees has hit a record high, according to a new report released by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate.
HRC's 16th annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI) ranks 609 major companies with a perfect score of 100, an 18 percent increase from last year.
"This record sets a new high water mark for corporate leadership over the 16-year history of the CEI," HRC said in releasing its findings.
"At a time when the rights of LGBTQ people are under attack by the Trump-Pence Administration and state legislatures across the country, hundreds of top American companies are driving progress toward equality in the workplace," said HRC President Chad Griffin. "The top-scoring companies on this year's CEI are not only establishing policies that affirm and include employees here in the United States, they are applying these policies to their operations around the globe and impacting millions of people beyond our shores. In addition, many of these companies have also become vocal advocates for equality in the public square, including the dozens that have signed on to amicus briefs in vital Supreme Court cases and the 106 corporate supporters of the Equality Act. We are proud to have developed so many strong partnerships with corporate allies who see LGBTQ equality as a crucial issue for our country and for their businesses."
Fourteen of the top 20 Fortune-ranked companies received perfect ratings, including Wal-Mart, Chevron, Amazon, Apple, General Motors, General Electric, Ford Motor Company, CVS, AT&T, Verizon, Fannie Mae, HP and Walgreens.
ADP, Allstate, Amazon, BP, Carmax, Dollar General, FedEx, Kohl's, Lyft, Nokia and Toyota Motor North America were among the companies to receive a perfect score for the first time. Apple and Xerox are among the companies that have consistently scored high marks since the survey's introduction in 2002.
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