The Human Rights Campaign Foundation Releases 20th Corporate Equality Index & Announces New, Robust Criteria

Marking 20 years of progress through the Corporate Equality Index, a record 842 companies achieved a top-score for LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace policies

WASHINGTON - January 27, 2022 - Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released its 2022 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), which is celebrating 20 years of being the nation's foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring company policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. This year, a record-breaking 842 businesses employing 14.3 million workers earned the CEI's top score of 100, up from only 13 in its inaugural year-demonstrating the incredible impact the CEI has had on the business world over its 20-year life.

Throughout the CEI's two-decade history, new criteria have been periodically introduced to ensure more robust, inclusive policies for LGBTQ+ workers-this year marks the next chapter in the tool's evolution. HRC Foundation's newly created CEI criteria will focus on expanding gender-affirming healthcare and workplace policies, ensuring equality in LGBTQ+ family formation benefit offerings, centering LGBTQ+ intersectionality through training and data collection best practices, and more-setting a new standard for LGBTQ+ equality in the workplace.

"When the Human Rights Campaign Foundation created the Corporate Equality Index 20 years ago, we dreamed that LGBTQ+ workers-from the factory floor to corporate headquarters, in big cities and small towns-could have access to the policies and benefits needed to thrive and live life authentically," said Jay Brown, Human Rights Campaign Senior Vice President of Programs, Research and Training. "We are proud that the Corporate Equality Index paved the way to that reality for countless LGBTQ+ workers in America and abroad. But there is still more to do, which is why we are raising the bar yet again and ensuring our 'Best Places to Work' label continues to be the gold standard. Evolving the CEI's criteria to mirror society is imperative to create more equitable workplaces and a better tomorrow for LGBTQ+ workers everywhere."

The first year of the CEI included 319 participants, and the 2022 CEI now includes 1,271 participants; further demonstrating the tremendous trajectory of the CEI, a record-breaking 1,268 businesses have non-discrimination protections specific to gender identity, up from 17 in 2002. These critical non-discrimination protections cover 40.7 million employees in the U.S. and around the globe.

Other key findings revealed in the 2022 CEI include:

The CEI criteria are reviewed annually and are periodically updated, this year HRC Foundation is releasing several criteria changes that will go into effect for the 2023 CEI. The new criterion is outlined below:

The 2022 CEI criteria are its 5th iteration and fall under four central pillars: non-discrimination policies across business entities; equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families; supporting an inclusive culture; and corporate social responsibility. Companies rated in the CEI include Fortune magazine's 500 largest publicly traded businesses, American Lawyer magazine's top 200 revenue-grossing law firms (AmLaw 200), and hundreds of publicly and privately held mid- to large-sized businesses.

The full report is available online at www.hrc.org/cei.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people. Through its programs, the HRC Foundation seeks to make transformational change in the everyday lives of LGBTQ+ people, shedding light on inequity and deepening the public's understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, with a clear focus on advancing transgender and racial justice. Its work has transformed the landscape for more than 15 million workers, 11 million students, 1 million clients in the adoption and foster care system and so much more. The HRC Foundation provides direct consultation and technical assistance to institutions and communities, driving the advancement of inclusive policies and practices; it builds the capacity of future leaders and allies through fellowship and training programs; and, with the firm belief that we are stronger working together, it forges partnerships with advocates in the U.S. and around the globe to increase our impact and shape the future of our work.

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