A South Carolina man who holds 49 shares of Coca-Cola has filed a shareholder resolution asking the Atlanta-based company to drop its non-discrimination policy covering sexual orientation. Hou-Yin Chang, a resident of Orangeburg, S.C., is asking Coca-Cola to "cease support of [the] homosexual lifestyle and other deviant lifestyle behaviors opposed by the majority of people." In his resolution, Chang equates homosexuality with pedophilia and asserts that "pedophiles and their lifestyle result in major scandals in corporate, government, education, social, and religious communities, notably the Roman Catholic Church."

In response, Coca-Cola has recommended that shareholders vote against this resolution. "The Coca-Cola Company is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce to benefit and grow our business, and to ensure that our Company is the best place possible to work. We do not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation."

Coca-Cola’s annual shareholder meeting is slated for April 16 in Houston, Texas.

STOCKHOLDERS ACTION: VOTE AGAINST THIS PROPOSAL

If you are a Coca-Cola stockholder, be sure to vote AGAINST this proposal.

TAKE ACTION: URGE PUBLIC PENSION FUNDS TO OPPOSE THIS PROPOSAL

Whether you own Coke stock or not, you can also urge the public pension funds in your state that own Coca-Cola stock to oppose the proposal. For contact information of the public pension funds in your state, visit http://benefitsattorney.com/states.html.

Here is a sample letter that you can tailor:

Dear Public Pension Fund Official:

I write to you today to urge you to vote against a stockholder proposal at Coca-Cola Corp. asking the company to amend Coke’s written equal employment opportunity policy to delete protection based on sexual orientation.

In all but 13 states, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is legal. Unless a company adds the words "sexual orientation" to its non-discrimination and harassment policies, employees are not protected from this form of harassment discrimination.

More than half of the Fortune 500 companies already include the words "sexual orientation" in their non-discrimination policies. These companies understand that inclusive policies improve morale, reduce turnover, and make their firms more competitive in recruiting new talent. This, of course, translates into cost savings.

I ask you to vote against this shareholder proposal, which will enhance the value of our state's investments in the long run.

Sincerely yours,

[Your Name]

[Your Address]