The bullet is once Garden State Equality, the New Jersey-based, LGBT Advocacy group was alerted to AT&T, KPMG, and Pfizer Corporations' complicity with Christian Right's regressive attempt to roll back LGBT discrimination protections in the state of Tennessee, they decided to rescind awards they have given to those companies for their LGBT friendly corporate policies.
Garden State Equality withdraws honors for AT&T, KPMG and Pfizer for anti-LGBT lobbying by the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, on whose Board of Directors the three companies serve and had been told about the lobbying additionally Garden State Equality, New Jersey's statewide organization for LGBT equality, stands by its sister organization, the Tennessee Equality Project.
Background on this story is here, and here.
Full press release after the fold.
Garden State Equality's Press release:
Garden State Equality withdraws honors for AT&T, KPMG and Pfizer for anti-LGBT lobbying by the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, on whose Board of Directors the three companies serve and had been told about the lobbying additionally
Garden State Equality, New Jersey's statewide organization for LGBT equality, stands by its sister organization, the Tennessee Equality Project
Contact: Steven Goldstein, Garden State Equality, Chris Sanders, Tennessee Equality Project
Monday, May 23, 2011 - Garden State Equality has voted to withdraw its honors of three national corporations, AT&T, KPMG and Pfizer, that serve on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry - a Chamber that has lobbied for a bill that would actually roll back legal protections for LGBT people in Tennessee. The bill has passed both houses of the Tennessee state legislature and is now before Tennesssee Governor Bill Haslam.
Garden State Equality learned of the three companies' role this past Friday, May 20th thanks to the outstanding reporting by John Aravosis and Joe Sudbay at Americablog. On Friday afternoon, Garden State Equality's executive committee voted unanimously to not to honor AT&T, KPMG and Pfizer, previously slated to be among the honorees at Garden State Equality's annual Legends Dinner on Saturday, June 25, 2011 at the Jersey City Hyatt Regency.
Legends, at which Garden State Equality honors corporations, legislators and individual activists for their contributions to LGBT equality, is a black-tie spectacular featuring stars from Hollywood, Broadway and politics. An estimated 800 guests will attend Legends 2011.
"We thank Garden State Equality for standing by us in Tennessee and showing true national leadership," said Chris Sanders, Nashville Committee Chair of the Tennessee Equality Project. "We hope organizations across America will follow Garden State Equality's lead with regard to companies on the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry."
"AT&T, KPMG and Pfizer don't have to remind us that their internal workplace policies are outstanding or that they have received several awards for corporate equality and diversity. That's why we had voted to honor them, " said Steven Goldstein, Chair of Garden State Equality. "And their LGBT employee groups are fantastic. But notwithstanding a company's internal policies, no company on a Board of Directors fighting against LGBT civil rights merits honors from Garden State Equality or any other pro-equality organization.
"Let our message resound everywhere," Goldstein said. "You cannot separate workplace policies from greater social responsibility, for laws that cover workplace discrimination directly affect treatment in the company workplace. You cannot boast about being a great company for LGBT equality on 29 days a month, but then work against LGBT equality on the 30th day and expect our appreciation. Equality is an everyday value."
After seeing the story on Americablog on Friday, Goldstein called Sanders at the Tennessee Equality Project. Sanders pointed out that four Nashville council members sent a letter about the bill to every company serving on the Chamber's Board of Directors, including to AT&T, KPMG and Pfizer, on April 29, 2011. In the letter, the four members of the Metro Council asked the companies to renounce the Chamber's support of the bill.
A copy of the letter is online at http://www.tennessean.com/....
This morning, Goldstein spoke with Jamie R. Hollin, one of the four Metro Council members who signed the April 29 letter. "When you serve on a Board of Directors, you're deemed to know about a Board's action," Councilman Hollin said. "But beyond that, it's abundantly clear that the companies knew, because we mailed or emailed a letter to everyone on the Board. And this has been in the Tennessee press. To this day, the only company on the Chamber Board that has told the Governor to veto the bill is Alcoa. Alcoa has acted responsibly and should be celebrated for its position."
Garden State Equality joins in celebrating Alcoa. "God bless Alcoa," said Goldstein, "and God bless the many other fair-minded companies across America that would no doubt join Alcoa if they, too, were on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry."
"When you make choices, there must be consequences for your choices," Councilman Hollin said. "The credibility of the Board member companies is on the line. Either they support equality for everyone or they don't. You can't have it both ways."
Even after receiving the letter from the four Metro Council members, none of the companies serving on the Chamber's Board have resigned from the Chamber.
Garden State Equality finds the Tennessee bill to be an unconscionable act of hatred. First, it would nullify county and municipal laws in Tennessee that protect the LGBT community from discrimination, including a Nashville law enacted last month. Secondly, it would bar all counties and municipalities in Tennessee from enacting future laws protecting the LGBT community from discrimination. And thirdly, the bill is a direct assault on transgender people in Tennessee. The bill redefines "sex" in the Tennessee code to include only the gender designated on a birth certificate. But Tennessee does not allow a change of gender designation on birth certificates for transgender people.
AT&T and KPMG have issued statements on the bill, but only after Americablog broke the story nationally. Garden State Equality finds both companies' statements to be tepid. Neither AT&T nor KPMG publicly called on the Governor to veto the bill. Nor has Pfizer. And none of the three companies has resigned from the Chamber.
As reported on May 4th in Out & About, Tennessee's LGBT newspaper, the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry issued a statement defending its support of the anti-LGBT bill because the Chamber believes employment standards "should be consistent across the state."
That comes across as preposterous, because the Chamber could call for legislation to bar discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity across Tennessee. And according to Chris Sanders of the Tennessee Equality Project - and as reported in the Tennessee media - the purpose of the bill was clear from the start. It was introduced in the state legislature in response to the proposed Nashville ordinance, now law, requiring city contractors to pledge not to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Garden State Equality vetted nominations for its corporate honorees before the anti-LGBT bill in Tennessee came to light. Garden State Equality's decision to withdraw honors for AT&T, KPMG and Pfizer is consistent with the criteria Garden State Equality has established for honoring companies, which go beyond equality and diversity at a company's own workplace. Garden State Equality also considers the extent of each company's commitment to greater social responsibility or lack thereof.
With 82,000 members, Garden State Equality is New Jersey's largest civil rights organization. Since Garden State Equality's founding in 2004, New Jersey has enacted 212 LGBT civil rights laws at the state, county and local levels, a national record. New Jersey has sweeping anti-discrimination, anti-hate crimes and anti-school bullying laws, all enumerating sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, that are a model for America in their inclusiveness and scope.
STATEWIDE HEADQUARTERS: 500 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair, New Jersey 07042
Phone (973) GSE-LGBT www.GardenStateEquality.org
Since Garden State Equality's founding in 2004, New Jersey has enacted 212 LGBT civil rights laws at
the state, county and local levels - a national record. Garden State Equality is the only statewide
civil rights organization in history to be the subject of an Academy Award(r)-winning film.
Thus far, only Alcoa has courage and integrity to issue not only a condemnation of the law, but call upon Governor Haslam to veto it.
Four other companies have issued statements as well, including FedEx, Nissan, AT&T and over the weekend, United Healthcare added their thoughts.
The message has been sent to Corporate American: "Keep your hands off LGBT Civil Rights!"
This is the vile ad the Christian Right produced to push this bill and the same bill these companies threw their corporate weight behind. Many of them now profess they had no idea this bill was a anti-gay hate bill. You tell me, is it not obvious?
Thus far, 9 companies remain silent. Numbers are their Human Rights Campaign score on the Corporate Equality Index rating their gay-friendliness out of 100. Cross-outs indication companies that have tried to explain their company's involvement thus far. Star (★) indicates will seek Governor's veto:
★ Alcoa: 100
AT&T: 100
DuPont: 100
Pfizer: 100
KPMG: 100
United Healthcare: 100
★ Whirlpool: 100
Alcoa: 100
Comcast: 95
Blue Cross Blue Shield : 90
Caterpillar: 75
FedEx: 70
Nissan: 50
If you haven't signed the petition asking these companies to step up and take some responsibility for their part in helping the Christian Right Bash the gays please do so.
The movement has also moved to Facebook. There is a page here, please "Like" it and post it and ask your friends to. This story is not getting much coverage and we need to change that.
Thanks.
Update
JPMassar has a diary on this topic as well. He has more background about the law, and also links to the Facebook pages of the companies involved, if you'd like to drop a note on their wall telling them what you think.
The diary is here. Thanks JP!
Update 2
This story hit the
PR Newswire:
MONTCLAIR, N.J. and NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 23, 2011 PRNewswire -- Garden State Equality has voted to withdraw its honors of three national corporations, AT&T, KPMG and Pfizer, that serve on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry – a Chamber that has lobbied for a bill that would actually roll back legal protections for LGBT people in Tennessee. The bill has passed both houses of the Tennessee state legislature and is now before Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam.
Garden State Equality learned of the three companies' role this past Friday, May 20th thanks to the outstanding reporting by John Aravosis and Joe Sudbay at Americablog. On Friday afternoon, Garden State Equality's executive committee voted unanimously to not to honor AT&T, KPMG and Pfizer, previously slated to be among the honorees at Garden State Equality's annual Legends Dinner on Saturday, June 25, 2011 at the Jersey City Hyatt Regency.
Good.
Update 3
Pressure's working! It has turned out that these companies
ignored warnings sent over a month ago Nashville City Council:
Nissan, FedEx, AT&T, Comcast, DuPont, Pfizer, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Caterpillar, KPMG, Whirlpool, Embraer, Alcoa, and United HealthCare were put on notice one month ago, by members of the Nashville city council, that the legislation they were lobbying for, via their roles on the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, would repeal Nashville's gay/trans civil rights ordinance.
Oops. AmericaBlog has a link to the Scribe PDF of the letter sent to EACH of the companies warning of the consequences of their support for this bill. They never responded.
Whirlpool intially gave a milquetoast sounding statement, but when asked for clarification said they would "talk to the Govenor" about it. Americablog again:
"Whirlpool Corporation opposes this legislation, which runs counter to our core values of diversity and inclusion. We are reaching out to the Governor's office and the Chamber to inform them of our position." -- Jill Saletta, director of external communications for Whirlpool Corporation.
Good work everyone who helped. The Facebook pages of these companies are really getting filled, check them out,
JPMassar has links in his diary here.