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LGBT Equality at the Fortune 500

2/12/2009

Fortune magazine's 500 largest publicly-traded companies, which collectively employ nearly 25 million people, have made significant strides in advancing equal protections and benefits for their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees. The more successful the company (and the higher the rank on the Fortune list), the more likely the company is to have these protections and benefits in place.

Fortune 500

  • the vast majority (85 percent) prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,
  • more than a third (35 percent) prohibit discrimination based on gender identity, compared to just three in 2000, and
  • the majority (57 percent) provide domestic partner health insurance benefits to their employees.

Fortune 10

The higher a company ranks on Fortune magazine’s list of the most successful businesses, the more likely it is to provide comprehensive protections and benefits to LGBT employees. Among Fortune magazine's 10 largest publicly-traded companies:

  • nine (90 percent) prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation,
  • six (60 percent) prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and
  • eight (80 percent) provide partner health benefits.

The top two employers, Exxon Mobil Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., have traded the No. 1 spot on the Fortune list over the last several years, each with revenues around $350 billion, but neither company provides domestic partner benefits or comprehensive non-discrimination policies.

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