The Oakland-based Clorox Company made changes necessary thisyear to earn a perfect 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's2006 Corporate Equality Index.

This year's report, HRC's fifth, showed an unprecedented 138major U.S. companies earned the top rating of 100 percent. That number is upfrom 101 in 2005, and has grown tenfold in four years.

"We are seeing a vigorous effort by companies to matchor exceed others in their industry on fairness and inclusion for GLBTAmericans," Solmonese stated in the report.

"Clorox is proud to be recognized by the Human RightsCampaign for our commitment to creating a supportive environment for gay,lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees," said Jackie Kane, seniorvice president of human resources and corporate affairs. "We believeembracing diversity in all forms - including sexual orientation andgender identity - creates a more dynamic and innovative work environment,and ultimately helps us be more successful as an organization."

Johnson, who is gay, said the LGBT employee group that wasstarted at the company this year was one of five employee resource groupslaunched by Clorox this year to help workers connect with one another and withthe corporation.

"We did not have formal policies that address domesticpartnership benefits back then. We have had to do some education and it hasshown in a number of ways," Johnson said.

Johnson said that Clorox also has moved to include anon-discrimination policy for transgender people in the policy already existingfor sexual orientation non-discrimination. Clorox also offers benefits toemployees with same-sex partners and the company also supports key LGBTorganizations and events such as the Reaching Out LGBT MBA Student conference.

"We are a products company and it is all about ourconsumers," Johnson said. "Our consumer base is diverse and ouremployee base is also that diverse. It is that diversity and support from thecorporation that has kept me here this long - that and the talentedpeople that I have to work with," Johnson said.

Johnson said the new LGBT group started with about 25 peopleat the first meeting and grew to about 50 at the second meeting. The thirdmeeting is coming up and Johnson said he wants to harness the energy "toempower the GLBT people who work here and those still to come."

The Clorox Company is a $4.6 billion multinationalmanufacturer and marketer of household products and products for institutional markets.Clorox employs about 7,600 people worldwide, 1,200 of whom work at itsheadquarters in Oakland.

HRC's 2006 Corporate Equality Index rated companies on ascale of 0 percent to 100 percent on several factors, including whether theyhave a written non-discrimination policy covering sexual orientation; supporttransgender employees with written non-discrimination policies and benefits;offer inclusive health insurance, bereavement and family leave policies toemployees with same-sex partners; offer diversity training; have LGBT employeegroups; engage in appropriate and respectful advertising to the LGBT community;contribute to LGBT community organizations; and decline to engage in anyactivities that would undermine the goal of equal rights for LGBT people.

Other Bay Area companies that earned a 100 percent ratingincluded California State Automobile Association, Charles Schwab Corporation,Gap, Heller Ehrman LLP, Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group, Levi Strauss, WellsFargo, Olivia Companies LLC, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Pacific Gasand Electric, and Morrison and Foerster LLP, all from San Francisco; KaiserPermanente in Oakland; and Adobe Systems and Cisco Systems, both in San Jose.

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