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Eastern Bank’s support of the LGBTQ community has received national and local recognition by three organizations.
For the sixth consecutive year, Eastern Bank received a perfect score of 100 on the 2019 Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s premier benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality, administered by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation.
Eastern joins over 560 major U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year.
For its longstanding commitment to Greater Boston’s LGBT community, the Boston Business Journal has recognized Eastern with its Business of Pride Corporate Ally Award, and for his commitment to advocating on behalf of the LGBTQ community, Eastern’s Chairman and CEO Bob Rivers has been recognized by Greater Boston PFLAG with its Inspired Ally Award.
“Our focus as a mutual bank is to support the continued growth of our business in support of our mission and fundamental belief that standing with and standing up for our communities is both the right and smart thing to do,” Rivers said in a statement. “While we are humbled to have our efforts in supporting the LGBTQ community recognized, we are equally aware that there is still so much work to do to achieve full equality for everyone, everywhere in the communities we serve. By joining together with our colleagues, customers and communities, our goal is to make equal rights a reality for all.”
Advocating for and defending LGBTQ rights has long been important to Eastern.
Eastern contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to community partners serving the LGBTQ community in 2018. In addition, Eastern was instrumental in raising awareness in support of the successful 2018 “Yes on 3” campaign when Massachusetts voters upheld the protections of civil rights for people who are transgender.
Nearly a decade ago, Eastern expanded its health insurance to include coverage for gender-related care, including transition-related surgery and supporting services. Eastern has also created gender-neutral bathrooms in its largest facility in Lynn and its “Equality Under the Blue” Employee Network has a visible presence internally and at events across New England every year.
