Texas companies improve on policies affecting gays, index finds

By SHERYL JEAN / The Dallas Morning News

Top employers in Texas and across the nation are making progress in treating gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees fairly, according to a report released Monday by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

This year, 305 businesses achieved the Corporate Equality Index’s top rating of 100 percent for their combined 9 million employees, up from 260 companies last year and 13 in 2002.

Texas was in line with other states, with 18 of 39 companies scoring 100 percent. Eight Dallas-Fort Worth companies received the top rating.

“We’ve seen incredible progress in the last year,” said Daryl Herrschaft, director of the foundation’s Workplace Project. “More companies participated in the survey. More companies, in spite of financial hardships, implemented the policies and procedures to treat their gay and lesbian employees fairly.”

The index rated 590 of the largest U.S. businesses from zero to 100 percent based on how they treat gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, customers and investors. The average score rose to 86 percent from 83 percent last year.

Exxon Mobil Corp. was the only Texas company – and one of two nationally – to score zero. The report said the Irving-based company continues to resist shareholder pressure to amend its nondiscrimination policies.

“Our policy really is dictated by the federal law in that country,” Exxon Mobil spokeswoman Cynthia Bergman White wrote in an e-mail. “Exxon Mobil benefits coverage is provided to spouses – whether heterosexual or homosexual – where there is a legal spousal relationship that is broadly recognized within the country. For example, in the Netherlands and Canada, where federal laws recognize same-sex relationships, employees with same-sex partners are eligible for spousal benefits under the Exxon Mobil program.”

Exxon Mobil employs 80,000 people globally, including 30,000 in the U.S.

“Basically, what Exxon is saying is that if you come to work for us in the U.S. and you’re gay, you get compensated less,” the foundation’s Herrschaft said. “It’s really a red herring to use the government’s policies as an excuse. I don’t think Exxon on any other topic would wait for the government to tell them how to run their business.”

Though many cities, counties and states protect employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, federal law contains no such protections. That could change if Congress passes the Non-Discrimination Act this year.

Perot Systems Corp.’s score improved to 53 percent from zero last year. The Plano-based company reinstated domestic partner benefits in January after rescinding them about a decade ago, Herrschaft said.

Perot Systems did not respond to a request for comment.

“Perot Systems has taken quite a leap ahead in providing benefits for domestic partners, diversity training and other policies,” Herrschaft said. “Most companies we see at the bottom of the list improve their scores year to year.”