ExxonMobil Shareholders Cast 14th Vote Opposing Protections for LGBT Employees

For the 14th consecutive year, shareholders of petroleum giant ExxonMobil have rejected an antidiscrimination resolution that would have protected employees from being fired or harassed simply because they are LGBT.

The vote at today's annual shareholder meeting in Dallas was not unexpected, but 81% of shareholders voted in opposition to the protection, with just 19% in favor -- the lowest support ever recorded, reports the Dallas Voice.

The resolution would have added language mentioning sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics within the company's Equal Employment Opportunity policy. Just one shareholder spoke in support of the resolution, according to the Voice.

"ExxonMobil continues to dig in its heels to prove that it is one of the most ardent proponents of LGBT discrimination in the country," said a statement from LGBT activist group GetEqual. "While ExxonMobil rakes in billions of dollars in federal contracts each year -- paid for with taxpayer money -- it's stunning that the company is so actively and blatantly out of step with the three-quarters of the American public who support LGBT workplace protections."

ExxonMobil is the only company ever to receive a negative score on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, which rates companies based on their LGBT-inclusive policies and practices. Prior to the merger with Exxon in 1999, Mobil had nondiscrimination protections in place for LGBT employees, but those were rescinded when Exxon took over, reports the Voice.

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