By C. Craig Jackson - Jun 2, 2009
Also read:
LGBT,
same-sex marriage,
same-sex partner benefits,
civil rights The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) recently released its State of the Workplace report, which shows significant progress in protections for private-sector and state-government LGBT employees. Like other reports from the HRC, it is thorough, methodical and valuable information.
Click here to read "7 Things NEVER to Say to LGBT Coworkers."
Click here to read "What's Next for the LGBT Movement?"
Click here to watch "LGBT Rights: How Far Have We Come? (VIDEO)"
Consider:
In 2000, only three Fortune 500 businesses provided protections based on gender identity; now, 175 Fortune 500 companies provide those protections, including 60 of the Fortune 100.
In 2000, 50 percent of the Fortune 500 provided protections based on sexual orientation; now, 85 percent of the Fortune 500 do.
All of The 2008 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® have discrimination policies that include sexual orientation, and 98 percent include gender identity.
The HRC's report looks at both employer policies and employment laws in assessing the status of protections for LGBT workers. In the United States, 12 states and the District of Columbia prohibit discrimination based on both gender identity and sexual orientation; looking at sexual orientation alone, 20 states offer protections.
The HRC notes that many businesses demonstrated support for LGBT equality by opposing legislation, such as Proposition 8, and joining organizations that advocate increased rights such as the Business Coalition for Workplace Fairness.
Speaking to the findings of the report, HRC President Joe Solmonese notes: "This report shows that the country's largest and most competitive employers are most likely to have added protections based on gender identity and sexual orientation, setting consistent expectations of equal opportunity for their employees and job applicants regardless of where they work in the United States."
To view the full report, visit www.hrc.org/stateoftheworkplace.
