WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, has released the 2016 Corpo-rate Equality Index, an annual report assessing LGBT inclusion in major companies and law firms across the nation, including 12 in Tennessee.
Corporate America, propelled by HRC and its foundation’s annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI), has led the way on LGBT inclusion for more than a decade. As the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices related to LGBT workplace equality, the 2016 CEI unveiled that a record 407 businesses – spanning nearly every industry and geography — earned a top score of 100 percent and the coveted distinction of “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality.”
That record number of perfect scores was achieved despite this year’s demanding new criteria requiring that companies with global operations extend non-discrimination protections for their LGBT workers worldwide.
In total, 851 companies were officially rated in the 2016 CEI, up from 781 in the 2015 report.
The report also unofficially rated 176 Fortune 500 companies, which have yet to respond to the CEI survey about their LGBT policies and practices.
The average score for companies and law firms based in Tennessee is 69 percent. Of the 12 companies ranked, 2 earned 100 percent, and 4 earned 80 percent or above.
The Tennessee companies and their CEI ratings included:
- Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, 100
- Nissan North America Inc., 100
- Dollar General Corp., 85
- FedEx Corp., 85
- First Horizon National Corp., 85
- Regal Entertainment Group, 85
- Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc., 70
- HCA – Hospital Corporation of America, 70
- Unum Group, 60
- Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc., 55
- International Paper Co., 25
- AutoZone Inc., 10
“Corporate America has long been a leader on LGBT equality, from advocating for marriage equality to expanding essential benefits to transgender employees,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “But this year, many leading U.S. companies have broken new ground by expanding explicit non-discrimination protections to their LGBT workers around the globe. They’ve shown the world that LGBT equality isn’t an issue that stops at our own borders, but extends internationally.”
The CEI rates companies and top law firms on non-discrimination policies, employment benefits, demonstrated organizational competency and accountability around LGBT diversity and inclusion, public commitment to LGBT equality and responsible citizenship.
The full report is available online at hrc.org/cei.
