http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/energy/exxon-shareholders-reject-gay-rights-resolution/-1115453822
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Exxon Shareholders Reject Gay Rights Resolution
While Rockefeller family’s attempt to get oil giant ExxonMobil to
focus more on climate change got more publicity, there was another
resolution that went before shareholders today as well--gay and
lesbian rights.
ExxonMobil (XOM: 90.43, +0.63, +0.70%) shareholders voted down a
resolution to add “***ual orientation” and “gender identity” to
Exxon’s non-discrimination statement on Wednesday. Approximately 40%
of Exxon’s outstanding shares voted in favor of the clause, but it was
not enough to send the issue to the oil company’s board of directors.
The shareholder resolution has come up every year since 2000, when it
got 8.2% approval among shareholders. The percentage that voted in
favor of the resolution has grown every year since then.
The non-discrimination resolution got 39.6% of the vote--more sup****t
than all the Rockefeller-sup****ted proposals.
Human Rights Campaign--the LGBT rights lobbying organization--said
ExxonMobil is the only company they've had to use shareholder activism
as a method to get “***ual orientation” and “gender identity” added to
a company’s non-discrimination clause.
“Our conversations with management never went anywhere,” said Trevor
Thomas HRC spokesman.
ExxonMobil has the dubious distinction to be one few major, and
certainly the largest, cor****ation that does not provide protection to
its LGBT employees.
“Gay and lesbian employees can still be fired for being themselves at
Exxon, unfortunately,” Thomas said.
Exxon’s lack of sup****t for a LGBT employee protection is historically
a sore point for LGBT rights advocates. Before ExxonMobil merged in
1999, then Mobil Cor****ation provided full same-*** partner benefits
to its employees. After the merger, ExxonMobil closed those benefits
programs to same-*** couples and adopted Exxon’s current
discrimination policy.
An ExxonMobil spokesman said the company does provide LGBT
discrimination protections to employees through its internal policies
and allows same-*** partner benefits where "legal spousal
relation****ps" are legal in countries such as Canada or the
Netherlands.
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