Equality Forum

"The FORTUNE 500 have overwhelmingly decided that including sexual orientation is in the best corporate interest and helps communicate corporate values to the estimated $660 billion annual domestic GLBT consumer market," stated Malcolm Lazin, Executive Director, Equality Forum.

According to Gallup's May 2008 Values and Beliefs Poll, 89% of U.S. citizens believe gays and lesbians should have equal rights in job opportunities. There is currently no federal workplace protection based on sexual orientation. Twenty states include sexual orientation nondiscrimination in their workplace statutes.

Senator Obama favors and Senator McCain opposes including sexual orientation in the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). In 2007, the House of Representatives voted 235 to 184 to amend ENDA to add sexual orientation. Thirty-five Republicans voted for the amendment.

In fall 2003, when Equality Forum began contacting the FORTUNE 500 companies, 323 (64.6%) companies explicitly provided sexual orientation protection in their workplace policies. Equality Forum reached out to the CEOs, Human Resource Directors and all members of the Boards of Directors of the 177 (35.4%) companies without this protection. By fall 2004, 405 (81%) FORTUNE 500 companies included sexual orientation in workplace nondiscrimination policies.

Equality Forum and Professors Thomas and Ayres communicated with 25 large institutional investors to solicit their support on proxy statements requesting sexual orientation nondiscrimination at companies not providing that protection. In response, Vanguard was among the large institutional shareholders that determined that it was in the best shareholder interest to support sexual orientation workplace protection.

Exxon Mobil is the largest of the FORTUNE 500 that does not specifically provide sexual orientation protection. At the 2006, 2007 and 2008 annual Exxon Mobil shareholders meetings, Vanguard voted its proxy of 194 million shares for including sexual orientation workplace equality and against Exxon Mobil management's opposition.

For more information on the FORTUNE 500 Project, visit www.equalityforum.com/fortune500. The names of the FORTUNE 500 Companies that are compliant and noncompliant are listed alphabetically and by revenue size, industry and the state in which they are headquartered.

Equality Forum is a national and international GLBT civil rights organization with an educational focus. Equality Forum undertakes high impact national initiatives, coordinates GLBT History Month, produces documentary films and presents the largest annual national and international GLBT civil rights forum. For more information about Equality Forum, please visit www.equalityforum.com.

Noncompliant Companies Listed By Rank:

    Company                          Rank       Revenues
                                                  (In
                                                Millions)

    Exxon Mobil                         2       $372,824
    GMAC                               78        $31,490
    Plains All American Pipeline      121        $20,394
    CHS                               145        $17,216
    TRW Automotive Holdings           174        $14,702
    AES                               183        $13,896
    D.R. Horton                       235        $11,297
    DISH Network                      240        $11,090
    Huntsman                          249        $10,713
    KBR                               284         $9,194
    Commercial Metals                 303         $8,751
    Virgin Media                      313         $8,153
    Pilgrim's Pride                   327         $7,599
    Western Refining                  342         $7,305
    Targa Resources                   344         $7,270
    Energy Transfer Equity            361         $6,792
    Celanese                          367         $6,641
    Aleris International              376         $6,529
    Fidelity National Financial       435         $5,524
    Leggett & Platt                   456         $5,249
    Expeditors International of
    Washington                        458         $5,235
    Frontier Oil                      462         $5,189
    Auto-Owners Insurance             465         $5,129
    BJ Services                       482         $4,802
    Holly                             484         $4,792
    Universal Health Services         485         $4,751
    Cameron International             490         $4,666
    Jarden                            492         $4,660
    Perini                            499         $4,628

http://www.equalityforum.com/2007/

www.equalityforum.com

SOURCE Equality Forum

http://www.equalityforum.com