In a study released yesterday of 319 of the largest corporations in America, the advocacy group Human Rights Campaign found that private business is far ahead of the federal government in pushing for sexual orientation equality. Of the companies surveyed, ninety-two percent have written policies prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination, and sixty-nine percent provide health insurance for same-sex domestic partners of employees. Same-sex domestic partner health benefits are not offered to federal public sector employees, and while some states such as California prohibit sexual orientation-based job discrimination, there is no federal law against such discrimination.
See "In Gay Rights, Private Sector Is 'Unlikely Hero,' Survey Finds", LISA FACKLER, Los Angeles Times, August 13, 2002