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Good news, at least according to a 2006 report by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). The HRC's fifth annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI) reports a record number of US companies striving to be gay-friendly, with an unprecedented 138 major US companies earning a top rating of 100 percent in their efforts to expand benefits and protections for gay and lesbian employees and consumers.
But top ratings by no means exist across the board for US employers, say observers. Industry, size, whether a company is in the private or public sector and location continue to influence employer policy toward gay and lesbian employees.
This year's CEI report found fierce competition within industries for a top rating, triggering quick actions to improve company policies and benefits at many companies. For example, last year Raytheon Co. was the only member of the aerospace industry to get a perfect score. This year, three of its competitors also earned 100 percent. Four other industries also saw rapid growth in companies achieving the top score. A total of eight law firms, five pharmaceutical companies and five consulting houses all reached 100 percent for the first time in 2006. And while two major auto companies achieved the top rating in 2005, this year that number doubled to four.
Still, experts warn against generalizing too much about industries as a whole. "In every sector and geographic area, hot-button issues prevent gay people from entering and rising," says Ken Upton, senior staff attorney with Lambda Legal's South Central region. "As a result, we focus on particular companies, because it's easier to affect a response [from a company] than across an entire industry." For example, when Exxon and Mobil merged, the new company rescinded benefits that Mobil had already extended to its gay/lesbian employees, a move that helped land ExxonMobil a score of zero on the report.
And just because one company scores a particular way doesn't mean every company in the industry will score in the same range. How good, for example, is the energy sector for gay people? "If you define it narrowly, by petrochemicals, not particularly -- though there are pockets like BP, Chevron and Shell that are OK," says Upton. "But energy also includes green areas that are less hostile."
According to Upton, the automotive industry can be hostile too. "Unions have made great inroads in areas like benefits coverage, but the work environment on the floor is still uncomfortable," he says. In fact, "most manufacturing sectors are still fairly blue-collar, and the environments are not great."
Justin Nelson, cofounder and president of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), adds: "Obviously, a lot of the blue-collar industry is not necessarily bad for GLBT people, but many of them have not caught up with corporate America in areas like visibility, rights and the chance to be who you are on and off the job."
Where Is As Important As What
State law also bears an impact on how gay-friendly an employer may be. In 33 states, it is legal to fire or otherwise discriminate against gays in hiring. Nonetheless, as Daryl Herrschaft, director of the HRC Workplace Project, points out, "the potential for discrimination exists in many places, with or without laws."
General practice by region can also influence employer outlook. "Manufacturing in the Northeast is probably not as hostile as the Midwest and South," says Upton. "Then again, if you transplant any industry or job to an urban state, it would have a different environment."
Other Factors
While observers warn against drawing too much from generalizations, size and type of employer also can help shape policy. Herrschaft notes that government is a sector in which gays/lesbians also might not feel comfortable. "Some states and cities offer benefits, but at the federal, state and local levels, coming out can still be career-limiting," he says.
Selisse Berry, the executive director of Out and Equal, which helps workplaces create GLBT-friendly environments, adds: "Broadly, the military, the church and education have been the least friendly to gay people," she says.
Nelson also cites "small-business America" as an area that lags behind in benefits and protections for gay and lesbian employees. The NGLCC represents small, gay-owned companies, but "lots of mom-and-pop businesses don't have antidiscrimination policies," says Nelson. "It's not that they don't want them; they just don't have the time to deal with it. They don't have full-time human resources people looking at best practices." To help, the NGLCC and HRC have collaborated on a toolkit that enables small business owners to adopt gay-friendly policies without reinventing the wheel.
Moving Forward
Yet, across the board, progress is being made. "There are leaders in every industry, including the ‘old-boy networks,'" Berry says.
And there continues to be progress in companies irrespective of their industry or location. The number of companies that received top scores in this year's CEI report is up tenfold from four years ago and represents a broad range of industries and regions.
"Corporations are rapidly adopting a more complete vision of fairness for GLBT employees in policy and practice," says Herrschaft. "These findings reflect a common desire in organizations today to move at a heightened pace to implement fair and equal policies for GLBT employees and then work to publicize their achievements."
