Press "Enter" to skip to content

Letter: Equal protections for LGBT employees: Missouri can’t afford to get left behind

As attorneys and senior staff at St. Louis’ largest law firm, we are fortunate that our employer Thompson Coburn has long made it a priority to adopt LGBT-inclusive policies, offer same-sex partner benefits, and support the firm’s LGBT Affinity Group in leadership and professional development efforts. We know we are among the lucky Missouri employees who are protected from discrimination related to the fact that we are LGBT. We also know that a large number of LGBT Missourians are not.

To address this unfortunate situation, we are pleased that Thompson Coburn has joined a number of top employers in Missouri who recognize that attracting and retaining talented employees means creating discrimination-free workplaces. Many companies headquartered in the state, including eight Fortune 500 firms, have enacted policies prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. More than 330 have voiced public support for the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act, the bill now pending in the Missouri General Assembly.

These employers are taking a stand for reasons both altruistic and economic. Having policies inclusive of the LGBT community is not only the morally right thing to do; it’s in the best interest of the Missouri business community and all Missourians. Here at Thompson Coburn, we know that diversity and inclusion matter to our clients across the country and around the world. Our clients and prospective clients don’t just ask whether we provide a safe, supportive environment for LGBT employees. They now expect it.

Similarly, if Missouri wants to attract businesses to the state, it must enact statewide protections for LGBT people to prevent discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations. The Missouri Legislature is now considering MONA, a uniform statewide law that would maximize protection for Missouri’s LGBT population and provide them the same recourses available to their non-LGBT counterparts.

Recent events in other states have highlighted the serious and often very vocal commitment that corporate America has demonstrated for LGBT protections. When anti-LGBT legislation was recently passed in Arizona, companies as diverse as Apple, Delta Air Lines, AT&T, Marriott International, Google, and even the NFL took a stand against the legislation. Just this month, several beer makers, including Guiness, pulled their sponsorships of St. Patrick’s Day parades in New York and Boston when organizers continued anti-LGBT policies.

These highly publicized incidents will only increase as corporations strengthen their commitment to LGBT-inclusive policies and expect the same commitment from their public and private partners at the state and local level. Think about the opportunities that these major corporate investments bring to our state: Construction and development of service centers and factories, new jobs for Missourians, a stronger, more vibrant tax base. We can’t get left behind because of what we leave undone or put off until next year. We must act now.

If our state is serious about attracting investments by major global companies, then Missouri needs to adopt anti-discrimination protections that meet these companies’ commitment to a diverse workforce and an inclusive society.

Therefore, the time has come for Missouri to move forward and add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Missouri Human Rights Statute, which already protects against workplace discrimination based on race, sex, and national origin. Employees in Missouri should be assessed on their merit and performance, not their gender identity or who they bring to the company picnic. Encouraging diversity in our state’s workforce improves the working environment and grows a business’s bottom line. The Missouri Legislature should pass MONA this year and join the ranks of states looking to the future.

It’s good for business and it’s the morally correct thing to do. We don’t want Missouri to fall behind and become a place where corporate America does not want to do business.

For a list of the over 300 businesses in Missouri that support the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act, visit http://www.moworkplaceequality.com.

Signed,  Michael Cole and Allison Price, Thompson Coburn