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.)