Tolerance is not only good for the soul, but its good for business and good for the economy.
There was a brief news story in the business section of the Herald-Leader this morning that said that a majority of businesses now provide domestic partner benefits. (It was in the print edition, but apparently not available on-line.)
This statistic appears to include all businesses, but it mirrors the numbers for Fortune 500 Companies. According to the Human Rights Campaign, 62% Fortune 500 companies offer domestic partner health benefits, 57% prohibit discrimination based on gender identity, and 88% prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. LGBT Equality at the Fortune 500
The HRC notes that the higher up on the Fortune 500 rankings, the more likely the company is to provide comprehensive benefits for LGBT employees.
And in related news, on Monday, Walmart announced that it would begin providing all health and other benefits to domestic partners of employees, including same sex partners. Walmart to offer same-sex domestic benefits
These companies do this because its good for business. It allows them to attract and retain the best employees, and allows them to market their products and services to the widest possible range of consumers. They do it because tolerance is good for business.
