JetBlue Named Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality

For the sixth year straight JetBlue has been named one of the best places to work for LGBTQ equality.

The New York-based airline received the designation as part of the Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking survey, and report administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The survey and report monitors corporate policies and practices as they relate to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees.

“We are proud to be named a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality for a sixth year,” Robin Hayes, JetBlue’s president, and CEO, said in a statement today. “At JetBlue, our mission to inspire humanity extends to everything we do, whether it’s providing inclusive health care coverage for our crewmembers or supporting countless nonprofit organizations doing important work for the community. This award is for all our crewmembers committed to making JetBlue a different kind of airline that’s led by our values.”

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A longtime supporter of the LGBTQ community, JetBlue supports a variety of nonprofits across the country, among them the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus; Lambda Legal; New York City Gay Men’s Chorus; New York City Anti-Violence Project; New York City’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center and NLGJA – the Association of LGBTQ Journalists, among many other programs.

In the latest Corporate Equality Index, a record-breaking 609 businesses, spanning nearly all industries, earned a top score of 100 percent and the distinction of “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality.” This is the highest number of 100 percent-rated businesses in the history of the index.

By comparison, the first index, in 2002, had just 13 top-rated companies.

The rating criteria includes four key pillars: non-discrimination policies across business entities; equitable benefits for LGBTQ workers and their families; internal education and accountability metrics to promote LGBTQ inclusion and finally public commitment to LGBTQ equality.

“This year the LGBTQ community has faced all-out assaults on our most fundamental rights from the highest levels of government. Basic decency and fairness have been flung out the window, and some of our bedrock American principles are being tested,” states the report. “That is why it is especially remarkable that this year has ushered in a new high watermark in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) workplace inclusion.”

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From tech startups to construction companies, auto manufacturers and other travel industry leaders —a long list of major businesses, employing millions of Americans, are stepping up to ensure their workplaces are fully LGBTQ inclusive, according to the report.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation report also notes that major businesses are working hard to ensure that transgender employees can expect equal protections under their non-discrimination policies. What’s more, the number of employers offering transgender-inclusive health care coverage leaped from 647 last year to 750 this year, a figure that includes 58 percent of the Fortune 500 ranked companies.

Additional travel companies recognized with a 100 rating for LGBTQ equality include: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Carnival Corp., Delta Airlines, Hilton Inc., Hyatt Hotels Corp., MGM Resorts International, Royal Caribbean Cruises and more.

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