In recent events, large corporations shareholders made proposals to include sexual orientation to their equal opportunity employment policy. Company officials came out strongly against such proposals and requested shareholder vote against these proposals. Home Depot was one, however, with your activism in contacting Home Depot with a flood of messages asking then to support such proposals. They did respond and even before the vote took place, sexual orientation was added to their equal opportunity employment policy and was effective immediately. They went one step further, to sponsor PFLAG in a new Fathers Day Campaign. As we feel warm and fuzzy over this success, another company has over shadowed this event.

Mobil was one company which was a leader in supporting equality in it's employment policy. That was until the merger with Exxon. It was one of Exxon's first tasks after the merger to strip all rights and benefits Mobil had implemented for their Gay and Lesbian employees. Most recent, shareholders had made a proposal to re-instate Mobil's pre-merger Gay and Lesbian employee protections and benefits. Their proposal strongly opposed by Exxon, went on to be defeated. Although, there was great support, 24 Legislators signed a letter sent to Exxon in support of re-instatement of pre-merger policy, activist shareholders and from many such as you sending them messages.

Tampa Bay Coalition has created Boycott ExxonMobil Banners* for placement on web site and or email. Not wanting to give up so easy and still wishing to keep the pressure on and hope for a Home Depot change of position. To add a banner to your site/email go to http://tampabaycoalition.homestead.com/pbBan.html .

The position and actions of ExxonMobil has one of the largest most prominent civil rights organizations, The Human Rights Campaign, to call for a Boycott of ExxonMobil. The message I received regarding HRC is posted below. They created a web site, "Equality at Exxon", hope you will visit it. This and other articles will be posted on our TBC GLBT News Section.

WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign called today for a nationwide boycott of ExxonMobil because of the company's continued refusal to reinstate a written non-discrimination policy covering sexual orientation and to open its domestic partner benefits program to all gay and lesbian employees. "ExxonMobil has stubbornly refused to treat its gay and lesbian employees fairly and has exhibited unusually antagonistic behavior toward those who have asked the corporation to make reasonable changes," said HRC Executive Director Elizabeth Birch. "A boycott may be a drastic action, but it is commensurate with the company's actions, which are unique in U.S. business. Our efforts to work this out with company officials have been met with resistance. As the largest corporation in the world, ExxonMobil should be a leader in fairness. Instead, it became the leading proponent of stonewalling gay and lesbian employees, consumers and shareholders ."

HRC is asking all fair-minded Americans to stop patronizing Exxon or Mobil gas stations and their On the Run convenience stores; cut up their ExxonMobil gasoline credit cards and Mobil "Speedpasses" and send half to ExxonMobil and half to the Human Rights Campaign; write or e-mail ExxonMobil, with a copy to HRC, expressing their displeasure with the company's treatment of gay and lesbian employees, customers and shareholders; send to HRC one month's worth of receipts for gasoline purchased from companies with policies aimed at treating gay and lesbian employees more equally.

HRC is also asking people who already have ExxonMobil stock to keep it and pledge to vote next year in favor of an anticipated shareholder resolution asking the company to add the words "sexual orientation" to its written non-discrimination policy.

In December 1999 when Exxon merged with Mobil, it became the first U.S. employer ever to rescind a non-discrimination policy covering sexual orientation. At the same time, executives closed Mobil's domestic partner benefits program to any additional employees.

Since then, HRC and its coalition partners have worked to reverse these actions, to no avail. In 2001, HRC co-filed a shareholder resolution with the New York City Employees Retirement System, The Equality Project and several others asking ExxonMobil to reinstate a written policy barring discrimination based on sexual orientation. HRC Education Director Kim I. Mills attended the meeting May 30 and spoke in support of the resolution. The measure garnered 13 percent of the vote, a 75 percent increase over 2000 and the highest percentage of any shareholder resolution on the ballot.

At a news conference after a recent ExxonMobil shareholder meeting, Chief Executive Officer Lee R. Raymond was asked by a Dallas Voice reporter why the company doesn't actively reach out to gays and lesbians as it does to other minorities. "We don't want to know [who they are]," he replied.

"ExxonMobil is out of step with most other corporations, including many of its competitors,," said Birch. "We are at a loss to explain why this company wants to risk losing valuable employees who want only access to equal benefits and a written assurance that they are valued and protected from unfair treatment."

ExxonMobil competitors Chevron, Sunoco, Atlantic Richfield, BP Amoco, Shell and Texaco explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation; BP Amoco, Chevron and Shell offer domestic partner benefits.

A total of 76 of the Fortune 100 have written non-discrimination policies covering sexual orientation; more than 50 percent of the Fortune 500 - 258 as of today - already have such policies. More than 3,700 U.S. employers offer domestic partner benefits, including 127 of the Fortune 500.

The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay political organization with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.

I will continue to update you on events surrounding this Boycott of ExxonMobil. Any comments, questions or suggestions please contact me by email, no2laura@tampabay.rr.com or info@tampabaycoalition.com .