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Ninety-four percent, or 470, of the 2007 Fortune 500 companies voluntarily include sexual orientation in their employment nondiscrimination policies, according to a gay rights organization that advocates for such protections through its "Fortune 500 project."
In fall 2003, when Equality Forum, a national gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) civil rights organization, began contacting Fortune 500 companies, 323 companies (64.6 percent) provided sexual orientation protection. Equality Forum communicated with CEOs and HR directors at the 177 Fortune 500 companies that did not offer such protection. By fall 2004, 405 Fortune 500 companies (81 percent) included sexual orientation in workplace nondiscrimination, according to the organization.
Of the 30 Fortune 500 companies that do not offer protections based on sexual orientation, 13 companies (43.3 percent) are headquartered in Texas.
A Gallup poll conducted in May revealed that 89 percent of U.S. citizens believe gays and lesbians should have workplace discrimination protection. There is no federal workplace protection based on sexual orientation and, according to Equality Forum, only 20 states include sexual orientation nondiscrimination in their workplace statutes (although that number is growing).
More information on the FORTUNE 500 Project is available at Website. The names of Fortune 500 companies that provide sexual orientation protections are listed alphabetically and by revenue size, industry and the state in which they are headquartered.
For additional information on this and other HR topics, consult CCH Human Resources Management or Personnel Practices/Communications.
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