The Real Deal
Defense Giant Raytheon Adds Discrimination Protections in a Wonderful Way
August 2, 2005

Last week another Fortune 500 Company added 'Gender Identity and Expression' to their corporate non-discrimination policy.  Based on statistics provided by the Human Rights Campaign, they are the 71st Fortune 500 Company to enact these protections.  There was a time when that alone would be news. 

This company was not just any company.  It was Raytheon, the defense giant..

I've been through this process several times before, the most intimate of which was at Dell where a group of us helped to enact these protections there in 2003.  And the thing that makes this announcement particularly noteworthy isn't just the fact that they're the first of the six big defense firms to do this.  No, the thing that's really wonderful here isn't just what they did, it's how they did it. 

The big news about Raytheon's announcement is that they made it loud and proud.  It was in newspapers across the country.  They highlighted the amazing work of some diligent internal advocates whose patience and passion helped them to do the right thing.  It was obvious that they appreciated what they had accomplished, and they shared this appreciation with the world in a very proud way. (See some of the articles here).

I can assure you from experience - it doesn't usually happen this way.  Often times companies enact these protections and they get enacted quietly.  Nobody knows.  They slide it in under the radar in hopes that they won't ruffle too many feathers or attract undue attention to themselves, almost as though they feel ashamed of doing the right thing.  The most disappointing part of my experience at Dell was that after a year of hard work nurturing these changes, helping the company to do the right thing, and finally enacting them - the only announcement appeared at the very bottom of a long list of things in the regular online company newsletter.  And even then, it didn't use the word 'transgender'.  I thought then and I still think that they missed a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on our accomplishment.

After a very long internal effort to get these protections passed at Microsoft, they announced them earlier this year in the middle of the mess they had created by pulling corporate support for a discrimination bill in Washington state.  At that point, it felt almost like this was something they had done to apologize for pulling the rug out from under people who were counting on them.  There was no publicity.  There was no proud fanfare.  It was invisible.

I suppose we shouldn't criticize companies for doing the right thing, and I'm not really criticizing companies who choose to enact this policy quietly.  I certainly appreciate the complicated sensitivities (or, the perceived sensitivities) involved. The important thing here is that they do it in the first place.  The thing I'm highlighting, though,  is that some companies - in this case a huge missile manufacturer - are realizing the tremendous potential that these announcements have.  They can't buy the publicity that this provides in terms of Diversity; they can't purchase the good-will that this buys throughout the entire GLBT community.  It's just huge.

Amazingly, 40 of the 71 Fortune 500 companies that have added gender identity and expression protections to their policies have done so since January 2004.  That's amazing!  The number is nearly doubling every year which tells a very compelling story about corporate America and the transgender community.  The fact that our needs are being identified and called out in such large numbers is validation to our situation in a very real and profound way.  Companies are making a commitment to us as valued employees, and they're doing what they can to foster a work environment of inclusion where we can do our job and reach our potential free from discrimination and prejudice.  Who of us ever imagined we'd ever see that day?

Why is this happening?  For a number of reasons.  Of particular note is that the business world is becoming more and more competitive in terms of attracting the best talent.  We live in an age of global marketplaces - and that's as true for finding the best employees as it is for gaining market share.  In order to attract "the best and brightest" talent, companies are doing some wonderful things to make their workplaces attractive and inviting for the broadest possible range of employees.  More and more companies are realizing that these kinds of policies provide tremendous competitive advantage in this regard, and the numbers demonstrate that.

Secondly, I can't over-emphasize the importance of HRC's Corporate Equality Index in this regard.  More than simply measuring supportive workplace GLBT policy, this tool has defined it.  The value of reaching a perfect score of 100 has become apparent, so many companies are now enacting policy to get there.  (Visit HRC's Worknet Page to see whether your company has supplied survey data, and what your score is.).  Currently, of the 68 companies in the Fortune 500 with a CEI score of 86, 45 of them need only to update their EEO policy wording to explicitly include 'gender identity and expression' protections to achieve a perfect score. This tool allows consumers, potential employees, and a company's direct competition, to compare based on specific policy, and I know from personal experience how strong a motivator this tool can be.

A perfect score on the CEI demonstrates leadership.  Companies at the leading edge of this trend demonstrate their leadership in a very real way. 

Of course, there's a big difference between enacting policy and ensuring that the policy is actually implemented in the trenches.  Discrimination against African Americans didn't end simply because Congress enacted Civil Rights Laws.  And, there's a big difference between stating a position and actively doing the groundwork to make it successful.  Just because a company says they won't discriminate against someone for one reason or another, I don't know anyone naive enough to believe that it just won't happen anymore.  Acceptance and culture change takes time, but this is a huge first step for us.

Their is no formal recipe for enacting these protections inside a company.  Sometimes it happens because an employee comes out and begins to transition on the job so sympathetic HR and Diversity people help to push it through.  Sometimes it's no big deal - and companies are just looking for someone to tell them what to do so they can do it.  Most often, though, it happens from inside.  Internal GLBT Employee Resource Groups or other concerned employees will begin approaching HR and Diversity and will work with their management to get this done.  Generally, the larger the company the more layers there are to work through so the longer it takes.  But the key is that the most important part of this process is to find strong internal advocates to start it, and to nurture it along.

Often it's not easy.  It takes quite a bit of educating on language, on helping to allay fears of perceived potential downsides.  However, I'd suggest that the fact that 71 companies on the Fortune 500 have been able to do this successfully is the best argument that most of these fears are unfounded.

I applaud Raytheon and the wonderful people within the company who made this happen.  Amanda Simpson is a pioneer.  Louise Young is a true Diversity Champion in every sense of the word.  And Hayward Bell, the new VP of Diversity, is a real hero.  I applaud them and the rest of their teams not only for what they've accomplished, but for the tremendous way they've announced it.  It sets a tremendously high standard for other companies. 

Leadership is leadership.  Courage is courage.  We know it when we see it.  And baby - this is the real deal.

PS - For help enacting these protections within your own company - whatever the size, please contact one of the resources below.

The author:                                Donna Rose
The Human Rights Campaign:    HRC Worknet
Out and Equal:                          Out and Equal Workplace Advocates