Eight steps companies can take to go beyond the letter of the law and truly be LGBTQ-inclusive

▹ If you haven’t done so, share your support of the decision publicly. ​Use or adapt the ​toolkit​ and messaging guidance referenced above.

▹ Publicly welcome your LGBTQ customers.​ While LGBTQ people now have legal protection from discrimination at work, we still have a long way to go. Even after today’s decision, it will still be legal under federal law to discriminate against people in places of public accommodation, like retail stores. Signal to LGBTQ customers that they are welcome in your place of business. If you haven’t already joined Open to All, consider doing to by reaching out to Jessica@OpenToAll.com.

▹ Support inclusive nondiscrimination protections. ​We need federal and state non-discrimination protections that cover areas like government services and public accommodations. T​he business community can play a leading role in advocating for these legal protections​. Research the Equality Act and review legislation the laws in states where you are HQd or where your stores are located. If that legislation is aligned with your corporate values, consider supporting that legislation publicly. If you have questions, you can always reach out to us.

Shore up your internal corporate policies

▹ Nondiscrimination. ​Ensure you have a robust internal nondiscrimination policy that is inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. Reflect the policy in your employee manuals and training so that employees and management have the cultural competency to work with both LGBTQ customers and employees. For example, is your company prepared to train managers and staff when there is a transitioning employee?

▹ Ensure inclusive health benefits.

• Work with your insurance company to ensure LGBTQ employees are fully covered. For example, plans might cover hormone treatment for women undergoing menopause but not hormone treatment for transgender patients, and some prescription plans don’t cover HIV medications.
• Make sure you have the same spousal and domestic partner benefits for same-sex and different-sex couples.
• Provide equal health coverage for transgender employees without exclusion for medically necessary care.

▹ Ensure your bathroom and changing room policies are inclusive of transgender employees and customers.

• The Supreme Court explicitly said they aren’t addressing bathrooms.
  One of the challenges for transgender employees and customers is access to bathrooms and changing facilities.
• If your company doesn’t already have good policies, take a look at HRC’s resource: ​Transgender Inclusion in the Workplace: Recommended Policies and Practices

▹ Parental leave. Provide the same parental leave benefits for birth mothers and those who adopt such as same-sex couples.

▹ Create an inclusive culture & promote corporate social responsibility

• Encourage or form an LGBTQ employee resource groups.
• Consider collecting data on LGBTQ employees (giving them the option to indicate they are LGBTQ similar to indicating their race, gender, etc.)
• Continue to provide explicit corporate support for LGBTQ employees and customers.
• Even if your company is not measured by the Human Rights Campaign, check out their ​Corporate Equality Index​ for more ideas on how to be an inclusive business​.