Gay Today: World

McDonald's Corporation Adds
Gay Non-Discrimination Policy

Sexual Orientation to be Included
in Diversity Training Sessions

Shareholder Resolution Promotes
Workplace Fair Employment

Compiled By GayToday

Ronald McDonald is a registered trademark of the McDonald's Corporation.

Seattle, Washington--McDonald's Corporation, the global fast food company, joined Monday the growing ranks of major American corporations that include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies.

The Pride Foundation and Trillium Asset Management revealed the decision this week, as well as their participation in this process. The two organizations co-filed a shareholder resolution seeking the adoption of the policy in October 1998. (Trillium Asset Management, until recently, was known as Franklin Research and Development Corporation.)

As one of the larger employers in the country, McDonald's has a strong interest in valuing its diverse workforce. It is estimated that nearly a quarter-million U.S. employees domestically and working overseas will be covered by this policy change.

McDonald's called the shareholder representatives soon after receiving the proposal to discuss employment practices and how to formalize them in order to be consistent with the resolution.

"We were thrilled by McDonald's response," says Allison Beezer, Chair of Pride's Investment Committee and an Independent Investment Advisor in Seattle.

"Not only did they agree to adopt the policy, they developed a plan to share the news with employees and add sexual orientation to their diversity training sessions."

Shareholder activism, says Pride, has become more popular since the 1980's, and the investment advisors now believe that such activism presents a way for them to further Pride's mission, which they claim, will strengthen the lesbian and gay community in the Pacific Northwest.

Since 1987, the foundation has awarded over two million dollars in grants to over 200 non-profits, while building its investment portfolio to work as a long-term endowment.

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Today, with invested assets exceeding $2.4 million, the foundation has begun to utilize shareholder activism as another tool for its mission.

This is a great way to leverage Pride's limited resources in a new way," believes Thatcher Bailey, President of Pride's Board of Directors.

"By introducing shareholder resolutions or negotiating with companies in which we own stock, Pride can play a proactive role in encouraging these workplaces to adopt written policies of non-discrimination that would protect their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees."