Major Colorado employers, including , Comcast, Hewlett-Packard, MillerCoors, Safeway, IBM, Kimpton, Hyatt, Marriott, ConAgra and Raytheon, were among the 366 businesses that scored 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2015 Corporate Equality Index.
The annual report assesses lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender inclusion in major companies and law firms across the nation.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights organization, rated 781 companies for policies ranging from insurance coverage for same-sex partners to covering gender identity in their non discrimination policies.
Seven companies headquartered in Colorado were ranked in the index, including: CH2M Hill, which scored 90; Chipotle Mexican; Ball Corp., 85; Chipotle Mexican Grill, 75; Holland & Hart, 75; Level 3 Communications, 75; Newmont Mining, 60; and Holme Roberts & Owen, 45.
Nationwide, 89 percent of survey participants now cover gender identity in their non-discrimination policies, up from 86 percent last year. About 66 percent of all Fortune 500 companies have gender identity protections, up from 61 percent last year.
Among the companies participating in this year’s index, 418 now offer at least one insurance plan that has transgender-inclusive coverage, up 22 percent since 2012, when the CEI criteria first included trans-inclusive health care as a requisite for companies to receive a perfect score.
“When it comes to LGBT equality, Corporate America is a leader, not a follower,” HRC president Chad Griffin said in a release. “At every turn, from advocating for marriage equality to providing vital support for transgender employees, this country’s leading companies have asked, ‘what more can we do?,’ and they’ve worked tirelessly to achieve new progress. That kind of leadership changes countless lives around this country, and sets an important example to other companies around the globe.”
Griffin cautions, however, that despite steady progress, LGBT workers still face major obstacles.
“Too many companies still don’t guarantee these vital workplace protections, and too many LGBT people — transgender people in particular — face high rates of unemployment and discrimination in hiring, keeping them from ever getting a foot in the door in the first place,” he said.
The full report, including a searchable employer database is available online at .
