NBC News On Saturday cited two unnamed
sources in reporting that President-elect Donald Trump is likely to
nominate Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state.
NBC's Andrea Mitchell said that
Tillerson would “very likely be paired” with former U.S.
Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton as deputy secretary of state.
Under Tillerson's watch, Exxon Mobil's
record on anti-discrimination policies as they relate to gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender workers has been lacking.
The company did not add sexual
orientation and gender identity to its non-discrimination policy
until last year. And that expansion happened after President Barack
Obama in 2014 signed an executive order that required federal
contractors to include such policies. (It should be noted that Trump
could reverse Obama's order.)
In two years, 2012 and 2013, the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate,
gave Exxon Mobil a negative score of 25 on its Corporate Equality
Index (CEI), a measure of a company's support for LGBT rights, making
Exxon Mobil the first and so far only company to receive a negative
score in the report's history.
“Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson's
nomination raises critical questions as to how a Trump administration
plans to protect LGBTQ employees and contractors affiliated with the
State Department, and ultimately whether it will continue American
efforts to advance equality through U.S. foreign policy,” said HRC
President Chad Griffin.
“Will Trump and Tillerson take on
brutal dictators like Putin who have inspired attacks against LGBTQ
people? Will they assist LGBTQ Muslim refugees fleeing death from
ISIS? For millions of people around the globe, their position on
these and other issues are a matter of life and death. These are
among the questions that Senators – Democrats and Republicans alike
– must ask,” he added.
While Tillerson has been Exxon Mobil's
CEO since 2006, he hasn't publicly said much about LGBT rights.