In the 1990s, a Subaru commercial that has now become famous aired on television for the first time. The vehicles featured in the ad were references to popular trends in the LGBT community; XENA LVR referred to the show Xena, Warrior Princess, which was popular with LGBT audiences, and P-TOWN alluded to Provincetown, Massachusetts, a popular tourist destination for gay and lesbian singles and same-sex couples. The commercial ended with the slogan, “Get out, and stay out,” which referred subtlety to being open about one’s sexual orientation. According to The Atlantic, Subaru knew that its products were already popular with lesbian women, and the commercials that acknowledged them helped cement its brand loyalty with LGBT consumers. Subaru gained a reputation for being the first LGBT-friendly corporation.
According to NJBiz, today LGBT inclusiveness in the workplace is the rule rather than the exception. Discrimination in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity still exists, though, and if it happens to you, contact a New Jersey employment discrimination lawyer.
Human Rights Campaign’s 2020 Corporate Equality Index
Every year, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation releases its Corporate Equality Index report on LGBT inclusivity in the workplace. It assigns each company a score from 0 to 100, based on how much the protects its LGBT employees from discrimination. These are some highlights from the 2020 survey:
- The criteria for each workplace’s score belong to four categories — corporate social responsibility, employment benefits, inclusive culture, and non-discrimination policies.
- The average score assigned in 2020 was 87 out of 100.
- 38 companies earned a score of at least 80; of these, 31 companies got a score of at least 90.
- In 2020, 23 companies received a score of 100, up from 19 the previous year. They include pharmaceutical companies, a bank, an insurance company, and a hotel chain, among others.
- Only some of the companies surveyed have supplier diversity programs, but 87 of those included LGBTQ small businesses among their suppliers.
- All the businesses included in the survey are private sector companies that employ 500 or more full-time employees.
Workplace Discrimination Can Happen Anywhere
According to the Human Rights Campaign’s survey, most big corporations in New Jersey have an LGBTQ-inclusive corporate culture. The survey specifically included public sector (government) employers and small and medium-sized businesses with fewer than 500 or fewer employees. Workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity can happen anywhere, though, even at big companies that look great on paper. Whether your employer failed to follow its own inclusive policies or whether it has discriminatory policies, you might have grounds for a lawsuit.
McOmber McOmber & Luber is Committed to Fighting Employment Discrimination
Employment discrimination against LGBTQ people can take many forms. If you think that you were fired, denied a promotion, or otherwise mistreated at work because of your sexual orientation, and employment discrimination lawyer can help. Contact McOmber McOmber & Luber in Red Bank, New Jersey to discuss your case. Call our Red Bank office at 732-842-6500, our Marlton office at 856-985-9800, our Newark office at 973-878-9040, or contact us at 888-396-0736 or online for a free consultation.
