FedEx Reverses Policy, Now Offers Benefits to Same-Sex Employees

FedEx a mega logistics and delivery company has made a positive step forward by offering protections to same-sex couples who are in domestic partnerships. The company previously invoked the federal Defense of Marriage Act as defense for not offering equal health benefits to LGBT employees. The company has also recently expanded their nondiscrimination policy to be inclusive of transgender workers.

Use the customer service form to applaud their decision to join the ranks of other corporations moving towards employee equity.

Healthcare Equality Index 2009

The annual Healthcare Equality Index has been released by the Human Rights Campaign in conjunction with the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association and shows the healthcare industry lags in addressing the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender patients.

Key findings:

Anti-Discrimination Policies. Less than seven percent of participating facilities protect patients from discrimination based on gender identity, while nearly three-quarters of participants provide these protections based on sexual orientation

Visitation Policies. The HEI survey has identified model visitation policies that are explicitly inclusive of the LGBT community. These model policies will set the standard for credit on these questions in the future.

Advance Healthcare Directives. All HEI-participating facilities have compliance policies requiring the honoring of legally-valid advance healthcare directives. Unfortunately, LGBT individuals come forward with tragic stories of hospitals failing to recognize these directives, reflecting a disconnect between the existence of written policies and the actual implementation of these policies on the part of all personnel. Future HEI surveys will focus on staff training related to advance healthcare directives as a means to eliminating this disconnect.

Cultural Competency Training. Seventy-two percent of participating facilities provide cultural competency training addressing sexual orientation and healthcare issues relevant to lesbian, gay and bisexual community. Seventy-one percent of participating facilities provide cultural competency training addressing gender identity and healthcare issues relevant to transgender community.

Employment Non-Discrimination Policies. Ninety-eight percent of the participating facilities bar employment discrimination based on sexual orientation, while only 63 percent of those policies include “gender identity or expression” or “gender identity.”

The full report can be viewed here.

Organization Spotlight: Gay Lesbian Medical Association

GLMA's mission is to ensure equality in health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and health care providers.

Engendered's Rock for Rights - 1/18/09 Lincoln Center

Engendered is an annual, New York-based transnational arts and human rights festival that brings together the best in contemporary South Asian cinema, visual arts and performance to explore the complex realities of gender and sexuality in modern South Asia, especially at the intersection of ritual and religion. The festival is designed not only to raise awareness, but also act as a fulcrum to enter public dialogue, break silences and impact perceptions around issues of gendered identities, stereotyping, bias and sexual choice and further, how those issues relate to affirmation or violations of human rights, health rights and women's rights.

Tickets can be purchased through Jazz at Lincoln Center.