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Campaign For Change

Buying For Equality Guide 2010
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by PHILIP ROSS, Causecast Editor

You’ve heard of eco-friendly businesses, but where are the gay-friendly ones? Human Rights Campaign has released its Buying for Equality 2010: a consumer’s guide to supporting LGBT-friendly establishments. The guide highlights shops, venues, restaurants and retailers that have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and openly support LGBT equality.

Businesses receiving a perfect score of 100 on the HRC Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index are your best bet for supporting the LGBT community. The criteria for a perfect score includes, among other things, diversity training covering sexual orientation, and an Equal Employment Opportunity policy that includes gender identity or expression. A testament to the progress we are making towards equality, the number of businesses awarded a perfect score has increased dramatically over the years, from just 13 in 2002 to over 300 for 2010.

By supporting LGBT friendly businesses, we can send a message to other businesses that discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is not only intolerable – it’s also bad for business.

Flipping through the guide, you may find that some of your regular destinations for food, clothing, or dining out, have received less than favorable scores on the equality index. Don’t just switch up your usual errand route without letting the people know why you are choosing to take your business elsewhere. As a consumer, you have the power to dictate how businesses operate. Dissatisfied with the hiring standards of your local grocery store? Let them know! HRC provides a template letter for your convenience.

Photo by antwerpenR, flickr.

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Related causes: Human Rights

Tags: gay rights, lgbt, human rights campaign, homepage

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