LGBTQ PRIDE MONTH and JUNETEENTH |
|
Greetings!
June is in full bloom, and while that means tending to gardens and kids home for the summer, it also signals many exciting things such as graduations, weddings, travels, and of course, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) PRIDE Month. Throughout the nation and world, this month is much more than rainbow flags and parades.
It’s been 51 years since that fateful 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a series of protests against police raids and acts of brutality inside New York City’s Stonewall Inn led by LGBTQ+ activists, including a Black trans woman, Marsha P. Johnson. At the heart of Pride Month is an ongoing fight for fundamental human rights, and in particular, for people who identify as LGBTQ+. From last year's historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects gay, lesbian, and transgender employees from discrimination based on sex to the passage of the Equality Act by the U.S. House of Representatives in February of 2021, the battle for LGBTQ+ rights ensues.
And we know that the fight for equality is rooted in understanding the histories of our diverse communities. June 19, or Juneteenth, will mark the day in 1865 when enslaved African American people in Texas were told that they were free following the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1 of 1863. This will be a day to commemorate and reflect on the historical legacy of Juneteenth and understand its significance to the history of our nation.
And finally, please join us in extending a heartfelt congratulations to Chair Mark Morales and Vice Chair Rebecca Aguilera-Gardiner who will lead our 2021-22 Insurance Diversity Task Force. They were both elected into office at the 2nd Quarterly Task Force Meeting, and we are so excited to work with them!
In Solidarity,
The Insurance Diversity Initiative Team
|
|
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FOUNDATION |
CORPORATE EQUALITY INDEX 2021
|
In this 19th edition of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index, a record-breaking 767 businesses met all the criteria to earn a 100 percent rating and the designation of being a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality.” Top-rated CEI employers come from nearly every industry and region of the United States. To earn top ratings, employers took concrete steps to establish and implement comprehensive policies, benefits and practices that ensure greater equity for LGBTQ workers and their families.
The CEI rating criteria have four key pillars:
● Nondiscrimination policies across business entities;
● Equitable benefits for LGBTQ workers and their families;
● Supporting an inclusive culture; and,
● Corporate social responsibility.
Since 2002, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation has published the CEI report based largely on the annual CEI survey administered to hundreds of major global employers. The CEI helps guide the wide-scale adoption of LGBTQ specific practices and language within existing business structures. For example, where businesses enumerate federally protected categories of workers in their nondiscrimination policies (e.g. based on race, religion, disability, etc.), the HRC Foundation evaluates them on the inclusion of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” protections.
In terms of benefits, the HRC Foundation evaluates employers on the provision of health insurance coverage for same- and different-sex spouses and partners. In addition, the HRC Foundation assesses the availability of routine, chronic care and transition-related medical coverage for transgender employees and dependents. Where major businesses regularly provide education, training and accountability measures on diversity and inclusion in the workplace, the HRC Foundation seeks to ensure these systems include the LGBTQ workforce. Lastly, major businesses have a range of engagement programs for their target markets and the communities in which they operate such as advertising, public policy engagement, supplier diversity, philanthropy, and sponsorship.
|
STRIVING for AUTHENTICITY
|
The report is the result of a two-part study: (1) a survey of more than 6,000 United States-based professionals, and (2) a facilitated digital conversation – called an “Innovation Jam” – that included more than 2,000 business leaders, subject matter experts, and thought leaders from around the globe.
Key Research Findings:
Despite important legal progress and meaningful efforts by employers to drive inclusion, discrimination against the LGBTQ community remains a reality.
- 4 in 5 LGB people report they have been personally discriminated against due to their sexual orientation.
Where race, gender, and sexual orientation intersect, the discrimination becomes more pronounced.
- 74% of Black LGB women believe their identity group is less successful than the general population. For White non-LGB men, that figure drops to 4%
Nonbinary and gender-expansive identities are common in workplaces.
- 82% of participants said they feel more comfortable at work when other employees display their pronouns in email signatures and/or on messaging platforms.
COVID-19 placed an outsized burden on LGB caregivers.
- 43% of LGB respondents say they have struggled balancing working from home with taking care of other family members, compared with 34% of non-LGB people.
.
|
ALLIANCE FOR BOARD DIVERSITY's LATEST REPORT ON CORPORATE BOARD DIVERSITY
|
The Alliance for Board Diversity, collaborating with Deloitte, released its latest report which chronicles the representation of women and minorities on public company boards of directors across America’s largest companies. The number of Fortune 500 companies with over 40% diversity on their boards is nearly four times higher than it was in 2010, according to the sixth edition of the “Missing Pieces Report: A Board Diversity Census of Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards.”
It will take until 2074 – when the U.S. celebrates its tricentennial, before the number of Fortune 500 board seats held by minorities reaches the ABD’s aspirational 40% board representation rate. And while women and minorities have made more progress in board representation for the Fortune 500 between 2016 and 2020 than between 2010 and 2016, the average growth for minority representation on boards since 2004 (the first year this data was collected) is less than 0.5% per year. Fortune 500 board representation for women and minorities continues to climb, up from 34% (1,929 board seats) in 2018 to 38.3% (2,253 board seats) in 2020. Since 2010, the number of companies with greater than 40% diversity has nearly quadrupled.
The social justice movements of 2020 served as a wake-up call for many in corporate America, accelerating the focus for greater gender, ethnic, and racial diversity in the boardroom. As many stakeholders around the country have demanded change, businesses are increasingly expected to serve the workforce and community, as well their bottom line. The business case and benefits of diversity – of background, experience, and thought – are evident, and many companies have listened.
“While we applaud the progress that businesses have made in increasing board diversity, we need to ensure representation is holistic and inclusive for all – not just for one segment of an underrepresented population,” said Linda Akutagawa, chair for the Alliance for Board Diversity (and also a member of our Insurance Diversity Task Force).“Despite heightened focus on board diversity the past year, not a single Fortune 500 boardroom is representative of the population of the US.”
To honor the occasion earlier this week, the New York Stock Exchange welcomed executives and guests of Alliance for Board Diversity and Deloitte US with Akutagawa ringing the The Closing Bell®.
|
|
|
SB 655 IS MARCHING INTO THE ASSEMBLY |
|
Thanks to supporters like you, the California State Senate unanimously voted to pass Senate Bill 655 (Bradford) which is now heading to the Assembly Insurance Committee. The bill is scheduled to be heard on June 24, 2021.
SB 655 builds upon the progress of our Department's diversity initiatives, and makes greater strides in the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion in California's $340 billion insurance industry by:
- Codifying reporting requirements for underrepresented groups on insurance company boards, including disclosures on an insurance company's board diversity policy statement or its measurable goals;
- Lowering the existing California premium reporting threshold value of insurance companies’ reporting on its board and supplier diversity data; and
- Establishing a definition for the term “diverse investment manager” as a means for insurance companies to target their social-impact
SEND IN YOUR SUPPORT LETTERS for SB 655
-
We need support letters from you! For your convenience, use the SB 655 template letter. Please complete the letter with your organization's letterhead and e-mail your final letter to us at: Diversity@insurance.ca.gov by 12:00 NOON (PDT) on June 16, 2021.
|
|
2021 VIRTUAL INSURANCE DIVERSITY SUMMIT |
|
UPCOMING CDI & DIVERSITY TASK FORCE MEETINGS
|
|
This section of the newsletter contains all of the information regarding upcoming Commissioner Virtual Townhalls and Insurance Diversity Task Force meetings. All meetings are open to the public. |
|
Upcoming Commissioner
Virtual Townhalls
Date: Thursday, June 17, 2021
Event: Small Business Insurance Virtual Town Hall with Los Angeles City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas
Date: Thursday, June 24, 2021
Event: Community Resource Virtual Town Hall with Los Angeles BOS Holly Mitchell
|
|
Upcoming Insurance Diversity Task Force Meetings
Date: Thursday, June 17, 2021, 9 am-10 am PDT
Event: Insurance Diversity Task Force Governing Board Diversity Advisory Group Meeting
Meeting ID: 918 998 5690
Call In Number: 877 810 9415
Call In Access Code: 436691
Date: Thursday, June 17, 2021, 1pm - 2pm PDT
Event: Insurance Diversity Task Force Supplier Diversity Advisory Group Meeting
Meeting ID: 918 998 5690
Call In Number: 877 810 9415
Call In Access Code: 436691
|
|
|
DIVERSITY EVENTS CALENDAR |
|
June 1 - June 30, 2021
Session Times Vary
These events will be held virtually
June 8, 15, 22, and 29 9 am - 1:30 pm PDT
These events will be held virtually
June 9, 2021
12:00 pm PDT
This event will be held virtually
|
|
July 15, 2021
This event will be held virtually
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
