The Human Rights Campaign Foundation has released the seventh annual Corporate Equality Index, which rates businesses on their treatment of GLBT employees, consumers and investors, and reported a one-third increase in the number of top-rated businesses that received a perfect score above last years ratings. The report is available at www.hrc.org/cei.

The report showed that more than 9 million workers have protections from workplace discrimination.

The 2009 edition of the CEI rated 583 businesses on a scale from 0 to 100 percent with 259 businesses achieving a perfect score. Last year, 195 top-rated business were rated 100 percent.

The 259 top-rated businesses collectively employ more than 9 million full-time employees. These workers are protected from employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression because of their employers‚ policies on diversity & inclusion, training, health care and domestic partnership benefits.

"The 2009 Corporate Equality Index shows that corporate America understands that a diverse workforce is critical to remaining successful and competitive," said HRC Foundation President Joe Solmonese. "In the absence of a federal law that prohibits workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, it is up to employers to take the lead and implement policies that ensure all their employees are protected."

Transgender workers have made major gains since the Corporate Equality Index was first published in 2002. That year, just 5 percent of rated businesses provided employment protections based on gender identity or expression.

The 2009 Corporate Equality Index reports that figure has increased twelve-fold: 66 percent of rated businesses now prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or expression, a 28 percent increase over last year.

"Improving and establishing an equal workplace for a transgender person is essential for any company that wishes to attract, recruit and retain talented employees," said Meghan Stabler, HRC Business Council member and transgender activist. "Often we are singled out for discrimination and, very often, job termination, solely because of our gender change or gender expression regardless of work history. The significant increase in companies achieving 100 percent on the CEI shows that the business-employee climate is improving, but we know there is still significant progress to be made."

The Human Rights Campaign is America‚s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.