We’re proud to be a national partner of the Human Rights Campaign and the HRC Foundation’s Transgender Justice Initiative.

U.S. Bank is proud to lend our support to the HRC Foundation’s Transgender Justice Initiative with a $25,000 donation to support the economic empowerment of thousands of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, particularly Black and Latinx transgender women. With the donation, the HRC Foundation will be able to produce new educational materials for employers, a webinar series for job seekers and job fairs for prospective employees in five cities. 

The transgender and gender non-conforming community experiences extreme hatred, discrimination and violence at rates which often makes the notion of achieving financial wellness out of reach. According to the HRC, since 2013, more than 200 transgender and gender-expansive individuals have been killed in the United States. 

“Our support of the HRC Foundation’s Transgender Justice Initiative is an important signal to our employees, customers and communities that we value the unique skills, viewpoints and experiences transgender and gender non-conforming individuals bring to the table and we’re here to help them achieve financial freedom and wellness,” said Steve Ducos, head of LGBTQ+ segment strategy at U.S. Bank. “The Initiative addresses some of the most critical financial barriers the community faces and has a bias toward action. Remembering that it’s not enough to mourn the violence – that we have the ability to do something to change that reality – is key.”  

U.S. Bank has a history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community, including offering resources to support employees who are transitioning their gender (as well as their managers and teammates), and educating employees about the unique and intersectional experiences of the transgender and gender non-conforming community so that they can better support one another and their LGBTQ+ customers and community partners.  

In January, for the 15th consecutive year, U.S. Bank received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality. 

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 
  

“The Corporate Equality Index is an important benchmark for our company to ensure we’re continuing to embrace diversity, create more equitable opportunities and foster inclusion,” said Greg Cunningham, chief diversity officer of U.S. Bank. “This recognition shows we’re continuing to do the right thing by evolving our approach to meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ community, including our employees, customers and other key stakeholders.”   

Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David said, “From the previously unimaginable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, to a long overdue reckoning with racial injustice, 2020 was an unprecedented year. Yet, many businesses across the nation stepped up and continued to prioritize and champion LGBTQ equality. This year has shown us that tools like the CEI are crucial in the work to increase equity and inclusion in the workplace, but also that companies must breathe life into these policies and practices in real and tangible ways. Thank you to the companies that understand protecting their LGBTQ employees and consumers from discrimination is not just the right thing to do – but the best business decision.”  

U.S. Bank shows support for LGBTQ+ employees with benefits, products and workplace programs including: an LGBTQ+ business resource group, promotion of self-identification, encouraging pronoun designation in email signatures and more.