WASHINGTON - November 30 - Fair-minded consumers have a powerful new tool for advancing workplace fairness with the release of the Human Rights Campaign’s buyer’s guide today. The publication — “Buying For Equality” — highlights corporate policies on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality and empowers consumers to make purchasing decisions based on a company’s score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s nationally respected Corporate Equality Index.

“LGBT Americans are changing the policies of corporate America at the check-out line,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “With an estimated $610 billion worth of buying power, this guide empowers our community to easily support companies that take a stand for fairness.”

Hundreds of popular American brands are listed in the publication, drawing simple distinctions between products, services and retail outlets that consumers use on a daily basis. For electronics purchases, the guide illustrates Best Buy’s 100 percent score over Circuit City’s 43 percent. For pet food, Iams’ 86 percent tops Alpo’s 29. Other comparisons include: Aquafina over Poland Spring, Shell over ExxonMobil and Balance Bar over Powerbar.

Seventy percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are very or extremely likely to consider a brand that is known to provide equal workplace benefits for gay and lesbian employees, according to research by Witeck-Combs Communications and Harris Interactive.

The buyer’s guide harnesses the power of the HRC Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index — a nationally recognized scorecard of corporate policies affecting their LGBT employees including domestic partner benefits and non-discrimination policies. This year, a record 101 companies scored a perfect 100 percent on the index — more than seven times the number of 100 percent scores when the index was introduced in 2002.

“Ensuring equality for all employees on the job is good for the bottom line and corporate America is responding in historic numbers,” said Solmonese. “We are using our collective purchasing power to continue to influence change.”

The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender political organization with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that LGBT Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.

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