WASHINGTON, DC--The Human Rights Campaign today released its second annual Corporate Equality Index, which measures how the largest U.S. companies treat their gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees and consumers. This year's report showed a total of 21 major U.S. corporations earned 100 percent ratings. That number is almost twice as many as in 2002, when 11 major companies earned a perfect score.

"What we see this year is improvement in every category measured, from written non-discrimination policies to domestic partner health insurance benefits and beyond. Corporate America continues to be a leader in the quest for GLBT civil rights," said HRC Education Director Kim I. Mills, who oversees HRC WorkNet, the organization's workplace project. "The bottom line is that successful businesses are increasingly recognizing that equality works."

The 21 companies that scored 100 percent are: Aetna Inc.; American Airlines (AMR Corp.); Apple Computer Inc.; Avaya Inc.; Bank One Corp.; Capital One Financial Corp.; Eastman Kodak Co.; Hewlett-Packard Co.; IBM Corp.; Intel Corp.; J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.; Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.; Levi Strauss & Co.; Lucent Technologies Inc.; MetLife Inc.; NCR Corp.; Nike Inc.; PG&E Corp.; Prudential Financial Inc.; S.C. Johnson; and Xerox Corp.

No companies received a score of zero in 2003.

The five lowest-scoring companies, all of which rated 14 percent, were: Aramark Corp.; Domino's Inc.; ExxonMobil Corp.; Meijer Inc.; and National Gypsum.

Lockheed Martin Corp. was the most-improved company in the analysis, going from zero percent in 2002 to 71 percent in 2003. Lockheed, which had been the target of a shareholder resolution asking it to add sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policy, did so - and also added domestic partner benefits.

The analysis released today covers 250 companies from either the Fortune 500 or the Forbes 200 largest privately held businesses for which the HRC Foundation was able to gather data. (Other companies with at least 500 employees have Corporate Equality Index ratings but were not included in the analysis in order to compare a consistent universe from year to year.) In 2002, the report rated 217 Fortune- and Forbes-ranked companies.

The 2003 HRC Corporate Equality Index rated companies on a scale of 0 percent to 100 percent on seven factors, including whether they have a written non-discrimination policy covering sexual orientation; have a written non-discrimination policy covering gender identity and/or expression; offer health insurance coverage to their employees' same-sex domestic partners; offer diversity training; have GLBT employee groups; engage in appropriate and respectful advertising to the GLBT community; provide financial contributions to GLBT community organizations; and decline to engage in any activities that would undermine the goal of equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Eighty companies - or about one-third of the total - improved their score in 2003 from 2002. The median score for 2003 was 71 percent, compared to 57 percent in 2002.

The two other companies that had scored zeroes in the 2002 report also improved their ratings in 2003. Emerson Electric Co. moved up to 29 percent by added diversity training and support for a GLBT community group, but the company continued to actively oppose a shareholder resolution asking it to add sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policy. Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores/CBRL Group Inc. also moved up to 29 percent. (Cracker Barrel is not among the Fortune- or Forbes-listed companies but is mentioned in the 2003 report because of its longstanding refusal to amend its non-discrimination policy, which once actually singled out gay people for firing solely because of their sexual orientation.)

The 10 Fortune- or Forbes-listed companies that earned 100 percent for the first time in 2003 are: Bank One Corp.; Capital One Financial Corp.; Hewlett-Packard Co.; IBM Corp.; Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.; Levi Strauss & Co.; MetLife Inc.; PG&E Corp.; Prudential Financial Inc.; and S.C. Johnson.

"While some of these changes may be motivated by altruism, most business decisions come down to dollars and cents," said Daryl Herrschaft, deputy director for HRC WorkNet, the organization's workplace project. "The positive movement in the index says that being fair to GLBT Americans, whether it involves employee benefits or respectful advertising campaigns, is the best way to do business."

Almost all of the companies rated - 238, or 95 percent, - include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination polices. "This criterion was met more than any other measured by the index and is an indication that such policies are the foundation of a fair workplace and set the stage for other initiatives," Herrschaft said.

The next most common factor was diversity training, which 184, or 74 percent, of analyzed companies have. This is a change from 2003, when domestic partner health insurance benefits were the second most common criterion met by companies in the analysis.

Meanwhile, the criterion met by the fewest of the analyzed companies was gender identity in their non-discrimination policy. Only 23, or 9 percent, of Fortune or Forbes companies had such a policy. However, this is up from 13 Fortune- or Forbes-listed companies a year earlier.

A copy of the report and all ratings can be found at http://www.hrc.org/worknet/cei/.

The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay political organization with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.

Human Rights Campaign

Human Rights Campaign

More from Human Rights Campaign