CHS, Inc. Ranked Among Least Gay-Friendly Companies

CHS, Inc., ranked among the least 'gay-friendly' companies in the nation, according to a national study compiled by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

The foundation, a nonprofit LGBT advocacy group with more than one million members, gave CHS, Inc. a score of 0 out of 100 percent in its evaluation of 636 major businesses and corporations across the country. A majority of the companies evaluated scored an 80 percent or higher, according to the foundation.

CHS was among a handful of businesses that did not respond to invitations to participate in the survey. Therefore, the results drawn in the evaluation for the company are 'unofficial' only and are based on publicly available information or feedback submitted to the foundation by employees, the foundation wrote in its report.

The companies evaluated in the study were graded on their policies prohibiting gender-based discrimination, the availability of domestic partner benefits and whether they offer transgender-inclusive health insurance.

A number of other Minnesota companies, including 3M, Best Buy, General Mills and Medtronic received perfect scores on the survey. Target received a score of 85, while the Mayo Clinic received a score of 70 and Hormel Foods scored a 60 out of 100.

Owned by farmers, ranchers and agricultural cooperatives, CHS supplies energy, crop nutrients, livestock feed, grain, food and food ingredients and insurance, financial and risk management services. The company also operates petroleum refineries/pipelines and manufactures, markets and distributes Cenex-brand refined fuels, lubricants, propane and renewable energy products. CHS employs roughly 9,000 people worldwide.

To view Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index, click on the PDF file attached to this article.