U.S.'s Largest LGBT Group Takes on Workplace Discrimination in Mexico

The HRC Foundation, an arm of the Human Rights Campaign, is launching their second survey of major Mexican corporations to gauge their policies on LGBT employees.

EquidadMX: Programa Global de Equidad Laboral will query more than 50 Mexican companies -- including the nation's largest, the state-owned oil company Pemex -- on how they treat their workers. HRC wants to know if there are antidiscrimination policies in place, whether there are diversity or resource groups, and whether the companies engage in public activies -- like Pride festivals, for example -- to encourage inclusion and a diverse workforce. The second iteration is an increase from the 32 companies that took part in the first year of EquidadMX.

"Major Mexican employers are demonstrating that LGBT inclusion is a fundamental value and provides a competitive business edge," Deena Fidas, HRC Director of HRC Equidad MX and HRC Foundation's Workplace Equality Program, said in a statement. "Businesses around the world continue to invest in LGBT inclusion to support their employees and promote talent. Mexico is leading efforts to foster inclusive workplaces across the country and Latin America."

HRC has also created an Equidad program for Chile and has developed a Spanish-language toolkit for employers wishing to foster a more equitable environment.

While the United States does not have a federal law banning anti-LGBT discrimination, several states do, and there's more well-funded organizations like HRC to combat it than in Latin American nations.