Monsanto : Backs National Efforts to Reintroduce Federal Legislation Which Protects LGBTQ Americans

Monsanto is among 91 corporations who have joined forces with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and more than 240 bipartisan lawmakers to support reintroduction of the federal Equality Act in Congress.

In a poll conducted by the HRC, which is the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, two-thirds of those that self identify as LGBTQ say they have experienced discrimination.

The Equality Act, which was first introduced in 2015, would guarantee explicit, permanent protections for LGBTQ people under current federal civil rights laws in the areas of employment, public places access, housing, credit, jury service and federally funded programs.
Currently, 50 percent of LGBTQ Americans live in states where they are at risk of being fired, denied housing, or refused service because of who they are. There is no federal law explicitly protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination, and 31 states still lack fully-inclusive non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people.
The slate of companies endorsing the Equality Act have combined operations in all 50 states, headquarters spanning 23 states, and collectively generate $2.6 trillion in revenue.

Monsanto has long been a champion of equality and diversity. The HRC named Monsanto as one of its 2017 'Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality' and the company also ranked No. 39 on DiversityInc's 2017 'List of Top 50 Companies for Diversity'. In 2016, within its home state of Missouri, Monsanto led efforts to defeat proposed legislation that would have discriminated against same-sex couples in employment, housing, public place accommodations and allowed limited access to various services.