BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International, Inc. recently was named among America’s top corporations for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality, by earning a perfect 100 percent score on the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) 2015 Corporate Equality Index (CEI).
The Index rankings are based on objective factors such as non-discrimination policies inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity, benefits for same-sex spouses and domestic partners, appropriate and respectful advertising, and external community outreach.
“As a global hospitality leader, Marriott believes our policies must create the environment where all people come to work fired up to succeed and able to focus on our guests,” said David Rodriguez, Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Diversity Executive, Marriott International. “Every individual, whether an associate or guest, must feel equally welcomed, safe and respected when they enter one of our properties. These are core values that make us very proud of this distinction from the Human Rights Campaign.”
In addition to recognizing Marriott’s commitment to inclusive human resource policies, the perfect CEI rating also acknowledges the company’s public commitment to advancing LGBT equality. This year, Marriott joined with other business leaders to sign amicus briefs urging universal recognition of marriage rights in five federal Circuit courts. These briefs informed the courts that the cost of inequality is a price businesses cannot justify or afford. In addition, in early 2014, Marriott played an early public leadership role in opposing anti-LGBT legislation that surfaced in Arizona, successfully urging a gubernatorial veto.
Go to Marriott. For a list of all criteria and corporations measured on the CEIBenchmark, visit www.hrc.org.
