For the 14th consecutive
year, Exxon Mobil shareholders on Wednesday rejected a proposal which
sought to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity as part of the company's equal employment opportunity (EEO)
policy.
The proposal received only 19 percent
support, reportedly the lowest ever.
The measure was backed by New York
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
One gay rights activist called the
results “sadly unsurprising.”
“The company continues to incorrectly
assert that it provides employment protections and an equitable
workplace for its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
employees, and Exxon's shareholders appear to believe that the
company's statement on a web page provides sufficient protections,”
Cece Cox, CEO of Resource Center Dallas, said in a statement.
DiNapoli added: “It's time for
ExxonMobil to take off its blinders and join the vast majority of
Fortune 500 companies in the United States by adding sexual
orientation and gender identity to its equal-opportunity employment
policy.”
Tony Perkins, president of the
Christian conservative Family Research Council, which opposes gay
rights, applauded the shareholders' vote.
“While other businesses drift away
from their principles or capitulate under pressure, Exxon is putting
its stock in something other than political correctness,” Perkins
said in a statement. “For the 14th straight year, shareholders
voted to maintain their reputation as a company that upholds the
commonsense principle that managers should be able to determine what
conduct contributes to and what conduct detracts from the effective
performance of an employee's duties.”
“The four to one margin against the
resolution is a strong indication that the homosexual community's
agenda is not resonating beyond the most liberal states. Exxon is
setting a good example for other businesses who think promoting
extreme political views is the only away to avoid the strong arm
tactics of far left special interests,” Perkins added.
(Related: Exxon
Mobil sued for anti-gay discrimination ahead of planned vote.)