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HRC "Buying for Equality" Consumer Guide Released

Monday Nov 24, 2008
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  (Source:Abercrombie and Fitch)

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender civil rights organization, today released its 2009 "Buying for Equality" guide, aimed at helping consumers identify hundreds of businesses and brands that support equality and fairness in the workplace for the LGBT community.

The guide includes listings from a record 260 companies that received a perfect 100 percent score on our 2009 Corporate Equality Index, an annual report on company policies related to diversity & inclusion training, non-discrimination policies and access to healthcare for LGBT employees and their families.

"With this year’s economy, we need to make sure every dollar we spend goes to businesses that have earned the right to call you a customer," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.

According to a Witeck-Combs/Market Research.com study, the buying power of the LGBT community is estimated to be $759 billion in 2009. During difficult economic times, our nation’s businesses know that every dollar spent by consumers figures into the success of their organization.

This is the fourth year the Human Rights Campaign has published the widely-popular "Buying for Equality" consumer guide.

With this year’s economy, we need to make sure every dollar we spend goes to businesses that have earned the right to call you a customer - HRC President Joe Solmonese

The guide has been viewed and downloaded off of HRC’s website more than 275,000 times. This year, HRC included businesses that did not respond to survey request over the past three years.

The Human Rights Campaign recently released a list of the businesses and organizations that supported California’s Proposition 8, the discriminatory amendment passed on Election Day that eliminates the right for same-sex couples to marry in the state.

Although several Fortune 500 companies and organizations contributed to the No on 8 Campaign, no Fortune 500 companies were found to have contributed to the Yes on 8 Campaign.

The data was searched for donations derived directly from businesses and organizations, rather than from individuals or national advocacy groups.

To view the complete list of businesses and organizations who supported Proposition 8, visit: www.hrc.org/prop8supporters.

To download or request a copy of the guide visit: www.hrc.org/buyersguide.

Comments

  • Anonymous, 2008-11-24 19:15:45

    Give me a break !!! All this is is a lobbying effort to get our community to support businesses who spend thousands of dollars in corporate sponsorships to HRC (and many, let me add, who also discriminate against GLBT employees). And by the way, quite coincidental that Witek/Combs is a major client / partner for a certain airline who just happens to be a "Platinum Sponsor" for HRC. So of course they will cover-up for each other. There is much more to HRC’s CEI index that these folks are leading you to believe that the public doesn’t know. Since big businesses are involved (and it now appears that the media is too) the underhanded deal making is covered-up to a science.................Thank you for your time.


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