Gay rights group, business leaders hold summit

Nov. 14--Some of the state's biggest businesses teamed up with a gay rights group in Birmingham this week to discuss ways to make the workplace more friendly to LGBT employees.

There was no discussion of legislation to ban discrimination against gay workers in Alabama, the group's leader said.

"This was to help them with their internal practices. It wasn't about advocacy for a bill," said Rep. Patricia Todd, D-Birmingham, the state's only openly gay lawmaker and the state director of the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign.

HRC held a summit Thursday with representatives from Alabama businesses to "discuss the business case for greater LGBT inclusion in places of work across the state," according to a press release from the group. Sponsors of the summit include Apple, Protective Life Insurance Company, Alabama Power and several other companies operating in the state.

Todd said the meeting was designed to help businesses develop policies to set up more inclusive workplaces. HRC produces an annual "corporate equality index" to rank businesses on their fairness to gay and lesbian employees; most Alabama companies aren't part of those rankings.

The summit could also be a sign that the gay rights movement has friends among the state's most politically connected businesses.

Protective Life, a Birmingham-based insurance company, has been one of the state's biggest political donors, giving more than $700,000 to the PACs and the campaigns of Alabama politicians over the past two years. Alabama Power's employee political action committee gave more than $1 million over the same period.

Those donations went to a wide range of elected officials in both parties, with the biggest donations going to established Republicans, such as Gov. Robert Bentley and Attorney General Luther Strange, who've actively opposed gay-rights advocates on issues such as same-sex marriage.

Gay rights legislation has never fared well on Goat Hill, but a powerful Republican -- Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh of Anniston -- stunned many observers earlier this year when he introduced a bill to ban state agencies from discriminating against LGBT employees. Marsh at the time said he'd discussed the issue with "industrialists" concerned about the state's image.

"We want to do anything we can to dispel the thought that we are not a state that treats people fairly and equally," Marsh said at the time. Attempts to reach Marsh for comment Friday were not successful.

Marsh's bill didn't pass.

Alabama Power spokesman Michael Sznajderman on Friday said the utility "was involved in the conversation" with Marsh before the bill was introduced.

"We have been engaged in discussions, with other companies, regarding legislation that supports diversity and inclusion in the workplace," Sznajderman wrote in an email.

Protective Life spokeswoman Eva Robertson said she didn't know whether the insurance company supported Marsh's workplace discrimination bill earlier this year.

"I'm not ready to make the leap that support for the summit means support for any specific legislation," she said.

It's illegal to fire any worker for his or her religion, gender, race or a host of other personal characteristics. Sexual orientation has never been on that list, under either state or federal law, and gay rights advocates have long argued that gay workers need explicit protection.

Todd has filed bills to that effect in the past. She said she won't do so in the coming year. After Todd took her current position with HRC, the Alabama Ethics Commission blocked her from voting on legislation sponsored by the group.

"I can't be a spokesperson on any LGBT legislation because they've handcuffed me," Todd said.

An HRC survey earlier this year found that one in every four gay, lesbian or transgender Alabamians reported experiencing employment discrimination.

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