Gay marriage by the numbers
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — On Election Day, the residents of Maine, Maryland and Washington affirmed that their states will recognize marriages for lesbian and gay couples. An analyses of Census 2010 data conducted by the Williams Institute suggests that approximately 35,000 same-sex couples live in these states and that over 17,000 will marry in the next three years. Many of these couples are raising children, ranging from 14 percent of same-sex couples living in Maine to 20 percent in Maryland.
After the vote, same-sex couples can now marry in nine states in the U.S. and the District of Columbia. As a result, 20 percent of same-sex couples now live in states where they can marry. Overall, 16 percent of the U.S. population lives in states where same-sex couples can marry.
If the U.S. Supreme Court affirms or let’s stand the 9th Circuit opinion striking down Proposition 8 in California, 35 percent of same-sex couples in the U.S. will live in states where they can marry; and 28 percent of the U.S. population will live in states where same-sex couples can marry.
Business index shows growing support
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the 2013 Corporate Equality Index, released Nov. 14, a record 252 businesses achieved the top rating of 100 percent, earning the coveted distinction of “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality.” As a point of comparison, 13 businesses earned a 100 percent in the inaugural CEI 11 years ago, demonstrating that a new normal has arrived. The policies, benefits and practices companies must implement to earn a perfect score are best-in-class demonstrations of corporate commitments to LGBT workers. The top-rated businesses span across industries, geographies, and size.
This year’s report at a glance (available in full at hrc.org/cei):
• A record 74 major businesses and law firms publicly supported pro-equality legislation at the state and federal levels.
• The 2013 CEI saw the largest growth in the survey’s history with 54 new businesses participating. The number of employers officially rated in the CEI has skyrocketed from 319 in 2002, to 688 this year.
• This year’s CEI marks the first time a majority of Fortune 500 companies have nondiscrimination policies that cover gender identity (from 50 percent to 57 percent), while an astonishing 84 percent of overall CEI participants cover gender identity.
• Transgender-inclusive healthcare coverage continues to rise. Now in its second year as a mandatory criterion for a company to earn 100 percent, 287 participating companies (42 percent) offer comprehensive healthcare coverage to their transgender workers, up from 19 percent last year.
Trans observances held in Nov.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Trans Awareness Week was observed earlier this month. It is a time devoted to raising visibility of trans people and the issues affecting their lives. The week culminated on Nov. 20 with the Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to honor those who have lost their lives to transphobic violence. To mark the Week, LGBT media watchdog group GLAAD released four new videos in the “I AM: Trans People Speak” video series. GLAAD says the video campaign “can help us better educate people about what it means to be transgender and build understanding that leads to equality.”
Business leaders attend summit
LONDON, England — On Nov. 13, at the first Out on the Street: Europe Leadership Summit, chief executives from some of the world’s largest companies came together with senior leaders from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and more to discuss how the financial services industry can advance LGBT equality. This is the first time that so many senior leaders have convened to work for LGBT equality, in Europe.
The event builds on the successful Out on the Street summits, held annually in New York, which earlier this year brought together over 200 senior leaders from across Wall Street, including the CEOs of Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, KPMG and Elliott Capital.
The summit focused on a number of topics of global interest to LGBT employees, straight allies and their companies, including: a cross-industry discussion on the importance of LGBT equality from a client perspective; the role and importance of having straight allies and how best to engage and “activate” them; and an in-depth comparative discussion of women’s experiences, both gay and straight, in banking.
UPS pulls Boy Scout funding
ATLANTA, Ga. — United Parcel Service (UPS), a corporate donor of the Boy Scouts of America, has announced a new policy that will cease all future funding to the Boy Scouts until gay Scouts and leaders are welcome within the organization.
Eagle Scout Zach Wahls (pictured), founder of Scouts for Equality, launched the campaign on Change.org just days after Intel Corporation, one of the Boy Scouts largest corporate donors, affirmed the company is no longer supporting the Boy Scouts of America. Like Intel, UPS gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Boy Scouts in 2010, despite the organization’s anti-gay policy.