Courtesy of the Human Rights Campaign, December 2017 Issue.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, launched its annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI) at a Nov. 9 press conference at Phoenix City Hall.
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton was joined by HRC President Chad Griffin and representatives from prominent companies leading on LGBTQ inclusiveness, including Dr. Renee McLaughlin from Cigna, Therese Bechet Blake from JPMorgan Chase and Alejandra Santamaria from Univision Arizona.
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.
The CEI is the nation’s premier benchmarking tool that measures the LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices of top U.S. businesses, including those on the Fortune 500 list of the largest publicly-traded companies.
This year’s CEI includes ratings of more than 900 companies, including the nation’s top 200 law firms. They are scored on how well they meet LGBTQ-inclusive benchmarks, including equal employment opportunity policies; employee benefits; organizational LGBTQ competency and public commitment to LGBTQ-specific efforts.
Key national findings revealed in the 2018 CEI:
- 609 companies earned a perfect 100 points, up from 517 in the 2017 report;
- Gender identity is now part of non-discrimination policies at 83 percent of Fortune 500 companies, up from just 3 percent in 2002;
- 459 major employers have adopted supportive inclusion guidelines for transgender workers who are transitioning;
- 137 Fortune 500 companies were given unofficial scores based on publicly available information.
The CEI rates companies and top law firms on detailed criteria falling under five broad categories:
- Non-discrimination policies
- Employment benefits
- Demonstrated organizational competency and accountability around LGBTQ diversity and inclusion
- Public commitment to LGBTQ equality
- Responsible citizenship
To access the 2018 Corporate Equality Index, visit hrc.org/cei. For more on the HRC Arizona, visit hrcarizona.org.