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Loading ...Gays told to remember gay-friendly merchants this holiday season
11.24.2008 5:00pm EST
(New York City) With a month left for Christmas shopping, gay and lesbian consumers are being told they should give precedence to companies that support LGBT rights.
The Human Rights Campaign on Monday released its 2009 “Buying for Equality” to help consumers identify hundreds of businesses and brands that support equality and fairness in the workplace for the LGBT community.The guide includes listings from a record 260 companies that received a perfect 100 percent score on HRC’s 2009 Corporate Equality Index, an annual report on company policies related to diversity & inclusion training, non-discrimination policies and access to healthcare for LGBT employees and their families.
“With this year’s economy, we need to make sure every dollar we spend goes to businesses that have earned the right to call you a customer,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.
“Every day, we make choices that send a powerful message about our values, our principles and our ideals. We do it every time we make decisions on how to clothe and feed our families or what investments to make. Where we spend and invest our dollars has remarkable potential to positively affect the LGBT community because it reinforces what many companies know: fairness is good business.”
The guide is broken down into sections including Apparel & Accessories; Banking & Finance; Eating Out; Home & Garden and Technology.
HRC also has a separate list of the businesses and organizations that supported California’s Proposition 8. The amendment passed on Election Day that eliminates the right for same-sex couples to marry in the state. Although several Fortune 500 companies and organizations contributed to the No on 8 Campaign, no Fortune 500 companies were found to have contributed to the Yes on 8 Campaign.
This is the fourth year the Human Rights Campaign has published the “Buying for Equality” guide. This year, it included businesses that did not respond to survey request over the past three years.
According to a Witeck-Combs/Market Research.com study, the buying power of the LGBT community is estimated to be $759 billion in 2009.
“During difficult economic times, our nation’s businesses know that every dollar spent by consumers figures into the success of their organization,” said in a statement.
PlEASE DON”T spend your money in Mississippi unless it is gay friendly. You can rest assured you are not welcome anywhere else. You won’t find an openly gay or lesbian employed in this state public or private sector because they have NO laws to protect them.We know who we are. And these boys don’t know what a hate crime is, let alone try to spell it. YET! You can get everything you need in any neighboring states that will get you through without having to spend a dime. Some day they will get the point. Happy Thanksgiving y’all!!!!!!!!!..:)
PlEASE DON”T spend your money in Mississippi unless it is gay friendly. You can rest assured you are not welcome anywhere else. You won’t find an openly gay or lesbian employed in this state public or private sector because they have NO laws to protect them. And these boys don’t know what a hate crime is. YET! You can get everything you need in any neighboring states that will get you through without having to spend a dime. Some day they will get the point. Happy Thanksgiving y’all!!!!!!!!!..:)
Want to know the HRC score of a business you are considering. Just text SHOP (businessname) to 30644. You will get report back.
Absolutely, Warren!
Bravo! we need to do this throughout the year not just during the holidays.
I stated yesterday in Ms Neff’s article
about the Utah boycott that we should
always check this website. I have had
it on my favorites for a couple of years
now. My partner of 32 years does most of the family shopping and I do use my big mouth to tell him to stay out of Walmart and advise him of other businesses which we should not use. This is very important. Money talks!
I agree it’s very important to support LGBT businesses. One way we’re doing that in VT is through a new website, http://www.vtgayguide.com
The Gay Guide is an online listing of VT gay owned and gay friendly businesses as well as lgbt non-profits and other resources. It’s a community site where you can find everything lgbt in Vermont. Check it out!
Why isn’t HRC listing companies that donated to the AZ, FL or AR amendments. CA wasn’t the only state where discrimination was added to the constitution.
What about companies that donated to other states in past years? Just because our community wasn’t protesting when they happened, doesn’t mean the information isn’t available.
Even better…Text SHOP and name of business to 30644 and you will get report back. Just did SHOP Costco..answer 93%
Here is link. http://www.hrc.org/buyersguide
Right Blacksteel, we just had a long thread abput having to give to United Way on PHB (pamshouseblend) .. Best info, you can specifiy where you want your money to go. They were against giving both to the Salvation Army and Boy Scouts.
I got my SA request today,,, and sent it back “No WAY not a DIME as long as you DISCRIMINATE.’
Don’t they post this list on the web? Why don’t you give the link?
Why were there no links in this article? http://www.hrc.org/buyersguide2009/category.htm?category=apparel_and_accessories
http://www.hrc.org/prop8supporters
While supporting gay-friendly merchants this holiday season, remember not to contribute to the Salvation Army.
The SA is a fundamentalist Christian organization which openly discriminates against gays in its employment policies. The SA made its support for President Bush’s Faith-based Initiative dependent on the right to discriminate against gays, and it has in the past assisted other religious groups in obstructing civil rights protections for gays.
Good for HRC! You can also request a hard copy from them and we should use this guide, not just for the holiday season, throughout the year.
Clearly, we can no longer support merchants that don’t support us. And in these economic times, we should be helping companies like Levi’s get in the black.