This week, both the U. S.’s Human Rights Campaign and Britain’s Stonewall announced their latest lists of “Best Places to Work” for LGBT employees and allies. In the U. K., IBM holds the top spot. No surprise, given the company’s consistently good rating in HRC’s Corporate Equality Index—and remember the “I” stands for “International.” (HRC’s “Best” list is unranked.) Financial giants Citigroup, J. P. Morgan, and Goldman Sachs are among other cross-border selections.
More interesting than that, however, was a comment in PinkNews that both the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, while not making Stonewall’s “Best” list, are part of the organization’s “Diversity Champions programme . . . Britain’s good practice forum in which employers can work with Stonewall, and each other, to promote lesbian, gay and bisexual equality in the workplace.” Maybe the U. S. Armed Forces will look to HRC for guidance now that they’re desperate and a former top officer has suggested letting gay men and lesbians serve openly. I’m not holding my breath.