The Human Rights Campaign has released a report on Fortune 500 companies, finding that 51 percent offer full benefits to domestic partners. In addition, 430 (86 percent) of the organizations include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies, which is a tenfold improvement compared with 2001. The report also highlights individual state victories, such as the seven states (CA, IL, ME, MN, NM, RI, WA) that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in the private as well as the pubic sectors.
“While protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans are stalled in Congress, corporate America continues to surge ahead. This isn’t a Democratic or a Republican issue. It’s an issue of basic fairness and good business,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese.