Florida Agenda

By Joe Harris

As more and more American businesses—and not just the Fortune 500—“come out” of the H.R. closet and begin to offer a full range of employee benefits to LGBT employees—and their partners—an entire new realm will come into focus, one where public policy meets the free market, and where captains of industry will become, in greater instances, required to put their portfolios where their mouths are.

Diversity experts point as examples to the CEOs of AT&T and “Big Four” professional services and accounting firm Ernst & Young, who serve on the Board of Directors of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Randall Stephenson, the Chairman and CEO of AT&T, and the telecom giant he helms both have strong records of supporting diversity and LGBT rights, as does Ernst & Young and its CEO, James Turley. Likewise, both companies have recently issued statements in support of LGBT rights. But neither CEO has hinted at leaving the Scouts over differences concerning LGBT rights, even though BSA policy forbids openly gay individuals from serving as Scout leaders, or from joining as members. Although the Scouts have recently agreed to review the ban on gay Scout leaders, officials say that a decision isn’t likely until 2013 at the earliest.

In 2001, Hollywood mogul Stephen Spielberg resigned from his seat on the BSA advisory board, citing conflicting views with the organization. “I thought the Boy Scouts stood for equal opportunity, and I have consistently spoken out publicly and privately against intolerance and discrimination based on ethnic, religious, racial, and sexual orientation,” Spielberg said when he resigned.

Although investment bank and securities titan Goldman Sachs is reported to have lost an anonymous client after CEO Lloyd Blankfein publicly endorsed same sex marriage, company officials say the bulge bracket house has no plans to change its policy supporting marriage equality. Retailer JCPenney was threatened with boycott by the conservative American Family Association and its offshoot, “One Million Moms,” after the chain selected Ellen DeGeneres as its spokesperson.

Experts on both the retail and public policy fronts say that culturally, there’s a growing intolerance among younger consumers for companies and brands that don’t support LGBT rights. When JCPenney was attacked for choosing DeGeneres, Facebook was bombarded with people who said they would shop at the retailer, and “1 Million People Who Support Ellen for JCPenney” on Facebook quickly overtook One Million Moms’ page. Both JCPenney and Gap have advertising campaigns depicting same sex couples.

Medical products manufacturer Johnson & Johnson has teamed with Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFFLAG) to end gay bullying. Target, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, recently began selling T-shirts to support a group that is trying to defeat the state’s same sex marriage ban. Food products giant and Fortune 500 Corporation General Mills, also based in Minneapolis, is another institutional supporter of LGBT rights.

CHARLOTTE, NC – Bank of America will reimburse gay employees who insure same-sex partners for the extra federal taxes they pay on health coverage.

The reimbursement was announced as part of the company’s open enrollment for health, medical and dental insurance.

The Charlotte Observer noted that for heterosexual married couples, employer-paid health benefits for spouses were nontaxable and employees used pre-tax dollars to pay the premiums. However, for gay couples, the benefits were taxable and premiums were paid with after-tax money.

Refuses to include sexual orientation as part of diversity

Photo: Florida Gov. Rick Scott , shuns state LGBT employees. Courtesy, bruceritchie.blogspot.com

ByJEREMY JONES

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – It only took a few hours into his first day in office for Florida Gov. Rick Scott to shun state LGBT employees. Shortly after being sworn in Jan. 4 as the state’s 45th governor, Scott issued an executive order addressing diversity in state government, but refused to include sexual orientation as part of that diversity.

Last month, the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (PBCHRC) requested Scott include sexual orientation when addressing matters of diversity. The Council, a nonprofit organization founded in 1988, is dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

In a Dec. 6 letter to Scott’s transition team, PBCHRC President Rand Hoch requested that the incoming governor’s first executive order address equal opportunity in state employment.

“By doing so on the day you take office, you will assure all Floridians that the State of Florida is committed to providing equal employment opportunity in state government to all qualified individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, pregnancy or marital status,” Hoch wrote.

While the council’s request was for an inclusive order, Scott instead issued Executive Order 11-04, which narrowly limited Florida’s non-discrimination policies to only include race, gender, creed, color and national origin. “Gov. Scott’s limited view of diversity is very discouraging,” said Hoch. “Gov. Scott did not even include all of the classifications listed in the Florida Civil Rights Act – let alone sexual orientation and gender identity.”

The Florida Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap, or marital status. In addition, Florida courts have also determined that pregnancy is a protected classification. “It is disappointing that Gov. Scott did not include LGBT Floridians in his executive order. He campaigned on his promise to create and retain jobs in Florida. Creating jobs and getting our economy going means making Florida competitive and attracting talent to our state,” said Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida. “These basic protections already cover more than half of Florida’s population through local policies and have the support of nearly 90 percent of the public.

It is time to ensure full equality exists statewide.”

While the governor’s decision to not include sexual orientation in the order is disheartening, Smith said it is too early to make sweeping assessments of how the Scott administration will respond to future matters affecting the LGBT community. She says Equality Florida has allies in Tallahassee on both sides of the aisle who are helping make the case for equality.

Smith also said that it is important that the community continue to push Gov. Scott and elected officials to build bipartisan support for the Florida Competitive Workforce Act that was recently introduced by Sen. Nan Rich.

Rich filed legislation aimed at bringing jobs to Florida. The Competitive Workforce Act (SB 346) would eliminate discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.

Major employers in Florida have adopted comprehensive non-discrimination policies and are working closely with Equality Florida to encourage others to do the same. These companies include: BlueCross BlueShield of Florida; Pepsico, Sweetbay Supermarket; Carlton Fields; jetBlue Airways; Citi and Wells Fargo. Most recently, Leon and Orange counties have adopted similar protections.