5 Anti-Gay Companies and 1 Homophobic Charity

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Chick-fil-A

The founding family of Chick-fil-A is not shy about its discriminatory marriage opinions, nor the company’s terrible score in the HRC Buyer’s Guide.

The Buyer’s Guide, assembled and issued by the Human Rights Campaign, which bills itself as the nation’s “largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans,” reviews various businesses’ workplace policies toward LGBT employees.

The Guide was surely influenced by revelations that Chick-fil-A slyly donates money to gay reversal organizations such as Exodus International and other anti-gay groups. The chicken chain’s founder, S.Truett Cathy, created the WinSharpe Foundation in 1984, which funneled almost $2 million to anti-gay groups in 2010.

Photo:The Washington Post/Getty Images

Salvation Army

The Protestant Christian organization has come under fire for lobbying governments worldwide to implement anti-gay policies and for intrusive, repressive statements from its leadership, such as “Christians whose sexual orientation is primarily or exclusively same-sex are called upon to embrace celibacy as a way of life.” Despite efforts to separate its religious beliefs from politics, the organization is still on the Do Not Contribute lists of many LGBT organizations.

Photo:Tojosan/Creative Commons via Flickr

Urban Outfitters

The Philadelphia hipster retailer has had more than its fair share of controversy, but came under LGBT activist scrutiny when founder Richard Hayne was outed as a Rick Santorum campaign funder. Former Republican presidential candidate Santorum has infamously compared homosexuality to bestiality. Urban Outfitters received a Zero in the HRC Buyer’s Guide. Openly gay CEO Glen Senk resigned in January.

Photo: Urban Outfitters Europe/ Creative Commons via Flickr

Walmart

The one-stop big-box mega shop scored moderately well on its treatment of LGBT employees on the HRC Buyer’s Guide. However, its management hasn’t always made the gay-friendly grade. CEO Mike Duke signed the anti-gay Arkansas adoption and foster care petition. Jim Walton, the youngest son of Walmart Founder Sam Walton, donated $75,000 to prevent gay adoptions in Arkansas.

Photo: Walmart Stores/Creative Commons via Flickr

Photo: brownpau/Creative Commons via Flickr

ExxonMobil

In the HRC Buyer’s Guide, which measures companies’ treatment toward LGBT employees on a scale of 0-100, ExxonMobil was the only company that achieved a negative score. ExxonMobil is the top company on Fortune magazine’s 2012 list of America’s 500 biggest companies, while ranking a negative 25 for employer policy toward LGBT workers. The HRC is pressing ExxonMobil to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the company’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policy, guarantees that were scuttled in the 1999 merger of Exxon and Mobil.

Photo: brownpau/Creative Commons via Flickr

Quiksilver

The surf wear and board sport giant surprised with a big fat zero in the HRC Buyer’s Guide. Notable Quiksilver brands include Roxy and DC shoes. HRC demerits against the company include no company-provided domestic partner health insurance, no diversity trainings, no parity in spousal/partner soft benefits (bereavement leave; supplemental life insurance; relocation assistance; adoption assistance; joint/survivor annuity; pre-retirement survivor annuity; retiree healthcare benefits; employee discounts), no company-supported LGBT employee resource group, and no appropriate and respectful advertising and marketing to or sponsorship of LGBT community events, organizations, or legislative efforts.