Number of gay-friendly companies growing: study

[deadparrot]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A record number of U.S. companies are trying to be gay-friendly, according to a survey released on Tuesday showing a growing number offering benefits and protections to gay and lesbian employees and customers.

An unprecedented 138 major U.S. companies scored 100 percent in a Corporate Equality Index compiled by the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington-based gay rights advocacy group.

That number was up from 101 companies last year and was 10 times higher than the 13 companies with that score in 2002, said the campaign, which conducts research and education programs and lobbies Congress.

Top companies offer such benefits as medical coverage and family leave to same-sex partners, prohibit discrimination against transgender workers or advertise in ways that respect gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, it said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060919/us_nm/life_work_dc

[TygrBright]

1. They're not stupid...

...they have years of pooled experience of what kind of employees GLBT folk are likely to be. The ones who live to grow up, don't self-destruct from existential despair and abuse by their loving families and neighbors, and don't select an alternative lifestyle based on self-employment, tend to be pretty decently educated, highly motivated, reliable employees. They play well with others, respond positively to supervision by non-bigots, and tend to be highly loyal to employers who even modestly loyal to them. What's not to want?

And I know very few people (at least, few people who aren't raving fundie bigots) who aren't pleased as punch to find out that their neighborhood is attracting gay households.

With all that going for them, it's got to be a helluva challenge for the fundy nutjob fuhrers to keep their followers hewing to the "better dead than gay" line. Sooner or later they're going to wake up and find out that it's too late-- the world has just moved on and gotten used to those hairy-scary gayfolk amongst us, and it's just No Big Deal anymore.

Fine that, and soon the day!

bemusedly,
Bright

[Anakin Skywalker]

2. Well, Good!

[geek tragedy]

3. This is actually an example of capitalism working for good.

Corporations don't really care about homosexuality, but they know that homosexuals:

1) Buy products and services; and

2) Are a significant source of talent for their organizations.

[ninkasi]

4. I've always thought that it would be a good idea

to have hotels, resorts, places like that who catered to gay customers. They could go to a place where they wouldn't be stared at, or subjected to prude's disapproval. They could dance, walk hand in hand, just like couples do, but without the hassle that they sometimes endure in places that have mostly families where the partners are opposite sex.

Maybe cruises, too, would be a good idea. I'm not saying that they would have to ban heterosexual couples, or singles, just that they would have to respect other people's rights, and not be all pissy and disapproving, and making sure everybody knew it.

I wish our whole society were more enlightened, but I also with we didn't have a president who starts wars on countries who have not harmed us, and relishes the idea of torture.

[JusticeForAll]

5. umm they all exist

hotels, cruises and resorts all for gays and/or lesbian people. check out olivia cruises for an example.

[ninkasi]

6. Oh, good...

I know a few years ago in Galveston, one of the hotels was getting fixed up, and under new management, and catering to gays and lesbians and I remember thinking that was a good idea. My husband and I almost never get out, so I stay behind the times on lot of things.