MEXICO CITY — Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released the seventh annual Equidad MX report. The Mexico-based initiative, inspired by HRC's annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI) — the national leading benchmarking tool on corporate LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and practices — is HRC's first in-country program in Latin America. Equidad MX's success spurred the establishment of three additional workplace equality programs to date: HRC Equidad CL in Chile, HRC Equidad AR in Argentina, and HRC Equidade BR in Brazil. This year, there is a 2% growth in Equidad MX participating companies, increasing from 298 companies in the 2023 index to 305 companies in 2024. This increase reflects a growth of 1000% from the program’s inaugural year.

“Inclusive workplaces have a positive impact on employee engagement, productivity, and culture. Research shows that inclusive workplaces are more innovative and have greater financial outcomes and better business performance,” quotes RaShawn Hawkins, the Senior Director of the HRC Foundation's Workplace Equality Program. “We know that when Mexican employers actively strive to create policies and practices that promote LGBTQ+ inclusion, it’s not only good for their LGBTQ+ employees, but it creates positive outcomes for their entire workforce, customers, and their bottom line. Hawkins emphasizes, “HRC is continually impressed by the vision that Equidad MX promotes for corporations, something that wouldn’t be possible without the efforts and collaboration of our implementing partners.”

This year, companies from 40 different industries are represented in the index. There were 82 Mexican national companies that participated, representing 27% of those that appear in this 2024 index. Regional distribution within Mexico remains steady with headquarters of the participating companies present in 20 states and workforce representation in 32 different states. With consideration to the origin or location of the corporation, the number of countries represented for this year is 19, compared to 18 in 2023.

Furthermore, the number of employees benefiting from the policies and practices outlined in the tool this year has increased by 10%, reaching an estimated 1,526,448 employees compared to 1,382,975 in 2023. Of this group, 22,292 are part of the LGBTQ+ leadership groups in their companies.

“The 2024 survey cycle brought many new lessons learned for us,” says Francisco Robledo, HRC Equidad MX implementing partner. “The program has reached a new level of maturity where participating companies are meeting the requirements of the criteria, exemplifying a higher level of expertise from their leaders, and elevating their commitments to this important work which we noted in the evidence submitted for validation” Robledo adds. “We extend our gratitude to all of the new companies on board and we welcome all the innovative work that is being done as we continue making progress in Mexico.”

“We remain happy and enthusiastic”, says Fernando Velázquez, HRC Equidad MX implementing partner. “This is because, like previous editions, all the indicators continue to rise, which keeps us motivated to continue the work, promoting and supporting workplaces throughout the country,” Velázquez adds. “There is still a long way to go, but with the continued support of participating companies–and new companies joining the program–as well as our other stakeholders, we know that we can continue making an impact.”

During the 2023 cycle, the Equidad MX criteria evolved to include internal LGBTQ+ training and educational best practices, going beyond the original requirements. Companies are now also scored on their adoption of nondiscrimination policies, diversity and inclusion councils or ERGs, public engagement, and activities to support LGBTQ+ inclusion.

A full list of honorees is available here. For more information on HRC’s Workplace Equality Program in Mexico, please visit hrc.im/EquidadMX or send an email to equidadmx@hrc.org.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people. Through its programs, the HRC Foundation seeks to make transformational change in the everyday lives of LGBTQ+ people, shedding light on inequity and deepening the public’s understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, with a clear focus on advancing transgender and racial justice. Its work has transformed the landscape for more than 15 million workers, 11 million students, 1 million clients in the adoption and foster care system and so much more. The HRC Foundation provides direct consultation and technical assistance to institutions and communities, driving the advancement of inclusive policies and practices; it builds the capacity of future leaders and allies through fellowship and training programs; and, with the firm belief that we are stronger working together, it forges partnerships with advocates in the U.S. and around the globe to increase our impact and shape the future of our work.