BCBSRI earns top score in 2025 Corporate Equality Index
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) has received a top score of 100 for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.
BCBSRI joins 765 U.S. businesses that are being honored with the foundation’s Equality 100 Award as a leader in LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion. BCBSRI is one of just five Rhode Island companies to receive the Equality 100 Award for 2025 and the only Rhode Island company to attain a score of 100 for 10 consecutive years.
“We value the Corporate Equality Index as a tool for measuring our progress in supporting LGBTQ+ people in the workplace, and our consistency achieving a score of 100 is a reflection of our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Carolyn Belisle, BCBSRI vice president of corporate social responsibility. “The evolution of CEI criteria encourages us to think critically about how we can continue to improve benefits, education, policies, and practices across the company to better support LGBTQ+ employees.”
The following are just a few of BCBSRI’s many efforts to support LGBTQ+ individuals:
- An LGBTQ Benefits Guide to support employees with information and resources to navigate medical and corporate benefits that support well-being.
- Blue pRIde Employee Business Resource Group, whose mission is to create a safer, more supportive environment for LGBTQ+ employees, partners, and the community-at-large.
- Partnership with the Fenway Institute’s National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center to offer employees trainings and resource guides on creating an affirming and inclusive care experience.
- Options for associates to self-identify as LGBTQ+ in anonymous employee engagement surveys or as part of data collection on confidential employee forms.
- Comprehensive gender affirming services for employees and members
- Safe Zones program, which helps direct members to 130+ care settings that have obtained BCBSRI certification for meeting a set of LGBTQ+ standards reflecting best practices in providing safe, inclusive, and affirming care.
The 2025 CEI results showcase how U.S.-based companies are promoting LGBTQ+ friendly workplace policies in the U.S. and abroad. This year, 1,449 businesses were surveyed, the highest number since the start of the CEI in 2002 when 319 businesses participated.
“As conversations evolve on corporate America’s approach to diversity, equity and inclusion, year-over-year growth in CEI participation is evidence of a business community that largely recognizes the responsibility and value in upholding equity and inclusion.” said RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of workplace equality. “Our goal at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation is to work in a spirit of partnership with companies, providing educational resources and leading benchmarking. The work of the CEI is to help businesses to expand their consumer base and attract top, innovative talent by supporting the LGBTQ+ community.”
The CEI rates companies on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars:
- Non-discrimination policies across business entities
- Equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families
- Supporting an inclusive culture
- Corporate social responsibility
A record-breaking 98% of CEI businesses have non-discrimination protections specific to gender identity. The CEI rates employers providing these crucial protections to more than 22 million U.S. workers and includes Fortune magazine’s 500 largest publicly traded businesses, American Lawyer magazine’s top 200 revenue-grossing law firms, and hundreds of publicly and privately held mid- to large-sized businesses.
The full report is available online at www.hrc.org/cei.
