Hannaford gets perfect score on index of corporate LGBTQ policies

One Maine-based company – Hannaford Supermarkets – achieved a perfect score of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2020 Corporate Equality Index, which evaluates the corporate policies and practices of large U.S. employers for their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees.

Several other companies with a large presence in Maine also achieved scores of 100 percent, including Walmart, McDonald’s, Nestle Waters, TD Bank, Unum and Anthem.

The Human Rights Campaign, a Washington, D.C.-based LGBTQ civil rights group, released its 2020 Corporate Equality Index report Tuesday. It names nearly 700 U.S. companies across a broad range of industries that achieved 100 percent scores.

Hannaford was the only company based in Maine that made the list. The supermarket chain said it has achieved a 100 percent score on the index for the past 11 consecutive years.

“We are proud to be recognized by HRC for the ways in which we create and promote safe and welcoming environments that support and celebrate our LGBTQ associates and customers,” said Jim Hamilton, Hannaford’s vice president of eastern operations and executive sponsor of its diversity and inclusion council, in a statement. “We believe in reflecting the communities we serve, and we’re enriched by each other’s differences. Most important, we all feel comfortable when we can bring our whole selves to work each day.”

The index assigns points to companies that have certain policies that benefit LGBTQ employees, including nondiscriminatory hiring policies, equality in medical benefits for same-sex spouses, equal health coverage for transgender employees without exclusions for specialty care, LGBTQ internal training and education best practices, and the presence of an LGBTQ employee group or diversity council.

Other companies not based in Maine that have large operations in the state also achieved 100 percent scores on the index. They included Tennessee-based Unum Group, Arkansas-based Walmart Inc., Minnesota-based Target Corp., New Jersey-based TD Bank, Connecticut-based Nestle Waters North America, Illinois-based McDonald’s Corp. and Indiana-based Anthem Inc.

“The HRC benchmark evolves annually, which helps us measure our efforts against national best practices,” said Lee Reece, promotions and events consultant and U.S. lead for Unum’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group, in a statement. “We’re on an important journey to make sure our workforce is inclusive and supportive of all, and represents the diversity of our customers.”

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