IBM—IBM pioneered corporate LGBTQ+ protections: non-discrimination policy in 1984, domestic partner benefits by 1997, 15 consecutive perfect HRC scores
IBM was among the first corporations to add sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policy in 1984, decades before most companies. In 1995, the company launched an LGBT Executive Task Force. By 1996-97, IBM extended health benefits to same-sex domestic partners across all 110,000 US employees, the largest US company to do so at the time. Gender identity was added to global policy in 2002. In 2020, IBM apologized for its 1968 firing of transgender computing pioneer Lynn Conway and awarded her a Lifetime Achievement Award. The company earned 15 consecutive perfect scores on the HRC Corporate Equality Index.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEI Programs | +toward | secondary | +0.50 |
| LGBTQ+ Rights | +toward | primary | +1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | +0.664 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.59)
Evidence (1 signal)
IBM's decades-long LGBTQ+ advocacy documented: 1984 policy, 1997 benefits, 15 perfect HRC scores
IBM added sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policy in 1984, among the first corporations globally. By 1996-97, IBM extended domestic partner health benefits to all 110,000 US employees, the largest company to do so. The 1995 LGBT Executive Task Force, 2002 gender identity policy addition, 2006 voluntary self-identification, and 2020 apology to transgender pioneer Lynn Conway form a comprehensive record. IBM earned 15 consecutive perfect HRC Corporate Equality Index scores.