Corporate America doubles down on LGBTQ+ inclusion: Highlights from HRCF's 2025 Corporate Equality Index

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) released the 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the US’s leading benchmarking survey and report measuring company policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality for more than two decades.

A record 1,449 businesses were rated this year, including 72 first-time CEI participants. In total, 765 companies – a 28% increase from last year – earned a score of 100 and will be honored with HRC Foundation’s Equality 100 Award as Leaders in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion.

"At its core, the work of the CEI is about making businesses stronger," said Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign. “Over the past 22 years, we’ve witnessed transformative changes in corporate America, from equitable workplace benefits to robust non-discrimination protections. While progress hasn’t come without challenges, companies are demonstrating resilience by continuing to prioritize workplace inclusion. As a result, they’re attracting top talent, fostering innovation, and broadening their consumer base."

Key findings in the 2025 CEI include:

• The first year of the CEI (2002) included 319 participating companies. A record-high 1,449 participants were surveyed; nearly 5% growth from the previous year.
• 98% (1,420 companies) have sexual orientation and gender identity in their Employment Non-Discrimination policy, up from just 5 percent in the CEI’s inaugural edition in 2002.
• More companies this year provided an LGBTQ+ health benefits guide – a 25% increase over last year in the number of companies with this employee resource.

Inclusive benefits:

• 1,187 companies (82%) provide equivalency spousal and partner medical benefits.
• 1,329 companies (92%) provide equivalency in their family formation benefits for spouses and partners.
• 1,258 companies (87%) provide equal health coverage for transgender individuals without exclusion for medically necessary care.

• 1,051 companies out of all CEI-rated employers have instituted gender transition guidelines with supportive policies and documentation guidance to proactively support transitioning employees, their managers, and their colleagues – up 21 percent over last year’s CEI.

The business case for inclusion

The CEI is more than a scorecard; it’s a playbook for building stronger businesses through inclusion. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, Senior Director of Workplace Equality at HRC, emphasized, “Year-over-year growth in CEI participation highlights a business community recognizing the value and responsibility of equity. The CEI equips companies with educational resources and benchmarking tools to support LGBTQ+ employees, expand consumer bases, and attract top talent.”

Workplace as a sanctuary for many

For many LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly those in states with restrictive laws on gender-affirming care, workplaces often serve as vital spaces of acceptance. According to HRCF’s August 2024 LGBTQ+ Climate Survey:

• 93.5% of LGBTQ+ workers see a perfect CEI score as a clear signal of corporate support.
• Nearly 20% of LGBTQ+ employees at companies scaling back inclusion policies would consider leaving their jobs, while one-third report that such rollbacks hurt their productivity.
• 80% of LGBTQ+ consumers boycott companies reversing inclusion initiatives, with more than half encouraging others to join them through social media and negative reviews.

2025's Equality 100 Award recipients

HRCF confirmed that 765 businesses fulfilled all the criteria to earn a score of 100 and earn the new designation of being a 2025 “Equality 100 Award: Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion.” This year’s top-rated CEI employers come from nearly every industry and region of the United States. To earn top ratings, these employers took concrete steps to establish and implement comprehensive policies, benefits and practices that ensure greater equity for LGBTQ+ workers and their families.

Many of myGwork's clients – including Accenture, Amazon, Bank of America, Biogen, Bloomberg, Capgemini, Deutsche Bank, Fiserv, Fitch Group, JLL, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Kellanova, Levi Strauss & Co., Linklaters, Mars Inc., Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., Moody's, Morningstar, Nike, Novartis, Omnicom Group, Oracle, Pearson, Pfizer, Reckitt, Reed Smith, RS Americas, S&P Global, Sanofi, Standard Chartered, State Street, TD Bank, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Unilever, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, VF Corp, WTW – have been honored with HRCF's Equality 100 Award as Leaders in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion.

Here's the full list of this year’s recipients of the Equality 100 Award, in alphabetical order:

A&O Shearman

Abbott Laboratories

AbbVie Inc.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co.

Accenture

Adidas North America Inc.

Adobe Inc.

ADUSA Distribution, LLC

ADUSA Transportation, LLC

Advance Auto Parts (Advance Holding)

Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

AECOM

The AES Corp.

Ahold Delhaize USA (ADUSA)

Air Products & Chemicals Inc.

Airbnb Inc.

Airbus Americas Inc.

Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC)

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP

Alaska Airlines

Alcoa Corp.

Alcon Inc

Alight Solutions

AlixPartners LLP

AllianceBernstein LP

Alliant Energy Corp.

Allianz Life Insurance Co. of North America

Allstate Insurance Co.

Ally Financial Inc.

Alston & Bird LLP

Altice USA, Inc.

Altria Group Inc.

Amalgamated Bank

Amazon.com Inc.

AMC Entertainment Inc.

AMC Networks

American Airlines

American Eagle Outfitters Inc.

American Express Company

American Greetings Corp.

Ameriprise Financial Inc.

Amgen Inc.

AMN Healthcare Services Inc.

Amtrak

Andersen Corporation

Anschutz Entertainment Group, Inc.

Aon plc

Apollo Global Management Inc.

Apple Inc.

Applied Materials Inc.

Aramark Corp.

Arcadis U.S. Inc.

Arch Capital Group Ltd

Arconic

Arctic Wolf Networks, Inc

Ares Management LLC

Armstrong Teasdale LLP

Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arup US, Inc.

Ascena

ASML

Associated Banc-Corp

Assurant

Asurion LLC

AT&T Inc.

Atkore International Inc.

Autodesk Inc.

AvalonBay Communities Inc.

Avantor, Inc.

Avery Dennison

Avita Care Solutions

AXA XL

Axiom Global Inc.

Bain & Co. Inc./ Bridgespan Group

Baker & Hostetler LLP

Baker & McKenzie LLP

Baker Botts LLP

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC

Ball Corp.

Ballard Spahr LLP

Bank of America Corp.

The Bank of New York Mellon Corp.

Barclays

Barilla America Inc.

BASF Corp.

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

Bath & Body Works LLC

Battelle Memorial Institute

BAYADA Home Health Care

Bayer U.S. LLC

BDO USA, PC

Berkeley Research Group LLC

Berkshire Bank

Best Buy Co. Inc.

Biogen

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.

BlackRock

Blackstone Inc.

Blank Rome LLP

Bloomberg LP

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Inc.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina

Blue Cross Blue Shield Western New York

BMO Financial Corp.

BNP Paribas

BNSF Railway Company

Boeing Co.

Boies Schiller Flexner LLP

Boomi

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.

Boston Consulting Group

Boston Scientific Corp.

Box Inc.

Braze, Inc.

Bread Financial Holdings, Inc.

Bridge Investment Group Holdings LLC

Brighthouse Financial, Inc.

Bristol Myers Squibb

Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc.

Brooks Running

Brown Rudnick LLP

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP

C&S Wholesale Grocers LLC

Cadence Design Systems

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Caesars Entertainment Inc

Caleres

Cambridge Associates LLC

CannonDesign

Capgemini America, INC

The Capital Group Companies Inc.

The Capital Markets Company NV

Capital One Financial Corp.

Cardinal Health Inc.

CareFirst Inc.

CareSource

Cargill Inc.

Cargo Transporters Inc.

CarGurus, Inc.

Carlson Inc.

The Carlyle Group LP

Carnival Corp.

Carrier Global Corporation

CBRE Inc.

Celanese Corp.

Cencora Inc.

Cengage Learning Inc.

Centene Corp.

CGI

Chapman and Cutler LLP

Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.

Chemonics International Inc

Chevron Corp.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.

Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP

Chobani

Choice Hotels International Inc.

Circana

Circle Internet Financial LLC

Cisco Systems Inc.

Citigroup Inc.

Citizens Financial Group

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

The Clorox Co.

CME Group Inc.

CNA Financial Corporation

The Coca-Cola Company

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.

CohnReznick LLP

Colgate-Palmolive Co.

Colliers International Holdings (USA) Inc.

Comcast NBCUniversal

Comerica Inc.

Commonwealth Care Alliance

Commonwealth Equity Services, LLC dba Commonwealth Financial Network

Community Care Behavioral Health Organization

Conduent Incorporated

Constellation Energy Corporation

Cooley LLP

CooperCompanies

Cornerstone Research

Corning

Coty Inc.

Covington & Burling LLP

Cox Enterprises Inc.

Cozen O'Connor

Creative Artists Agency LLC

CrowdStrike Inc.

Crowe LLP

Crowell & Moring LLP

Cruise

CSAA Insurance Group

Cummins Inc.

Cushman & Wakefield

CVS Health Corp.

Daniel J. Edelman Inc.

Danone North America

Darden Restaurants Inc.

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Day Pitney LLP

Dayforce

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

Dechert LLP

Del Monte Foods, Inc.

Dell Technologies Inc.

Deloitte LLP

Deluxe Corp.

dentsu international

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corp.

Designer Brands

Deutsche Bank

Diageo North America

Dickinson Wright PLLC

Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc.

Discover Financial Services

Dollar Tree, Inc.

Domino's Pizza Inc.

DoorDash, Inc.

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Dow

Doximity, Inc.

Dropbox Inc.

Duke Energy Corp.

The Dun & Bradstreet Corp.

Dupont de Nemours, Inc.

DWS Investment MGT Americas Inc

E&J Gallo Winery

EAB

Eastern Bank Corporation/Eastern Bankshares, Inc.

Eastman Chemical Co.

Eastman Kodak Co.

Eaton Corp.

eBay Inc.

Ecolab Inc.

Edward Jones

Egon Zehnder International Inc.

Electronic Arts Inc.

EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Electronics

Empower

Enbridge

Engie Impact

Enterprise Mobility

Epic Systems Corporation

Equinix

Equitable

Ernst & Young LLP

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Etsy Inc.

Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP

Evolent Health Inc.

Exelon Corp.

Expedia Group

Experian North America

Extreme Networks

Factor Systems, LLC dba Billtrust

FactSet Research Systems Inc.

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Farmers Insurance Group

Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. (Freddie Mac)

Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae)

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis

Fenwick & West LLP

Ferguson Enterprises

Ferrara Candy Company

Fidelity Investments

Fidelity National Information Services Inc.

Fifth Third Bancorp

First American Financial Corp.

Fiserv Inc.

Fish & Richardson PC

Fisher & Phillips LLP

Fitch Group Inc

Fleishman-Hillard Inc.

Foley & Lardner LLP

Foley Hoag LLP

Food Lion LLC

Fortive Corp.

Franklin Templeton Investments

Fredrikson & Byron

Fresenius Medical Care AG

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

Frost Brown Todd LLP

Fujitsu America, Inc.

Gannett Co. Inc.

Gartner Inc.

GE Appliances

Gen Digital Inc.

Genentech Inc.

General Mills Inc.

General Motors Co.

Genesco Inc.

Gensler

Gerson Lehrman Group Inc

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company

Giant Eagle Inc.

Giant of Maryland LLC