Exxon Mobil Corp. plans to ban the LGBTQIA+ flag from flying on the corporate flagpole outside its offices during Pride month in June, according to Bloomberg, which has seen new company guidance banning “flags over external positions.”
According to Bloomberg, Exxon’s new rule prohibits the display of LGBTQIA+ pride and Black Lives Matter flags, among others. Instead, it allows the raising of a flag that represents the company’s LGBTQIA+ employees, as long as it does not prominently feature the Exxon logo. The ban caused upset among company employees in Houston, United States.
“The updated flag protocol is intended to clarify ExxonMobil’s flag usage, not diminish our commitment to diversity,” said the company’s vice president of human resources, Tracey Gunnlaugsson, in a statement. “We are committed to maintaining an open, honest and inclusive workspace for all our employees, and we are saddened that they think otherwise.”
Despite the world-recognized ban on the rainbow flag, Exxon still supports the display of banners and banners with logos of groups of employees who come together to encourage a more diverse environment in the company where they work (ERGs, for the acronym). in English), especially in celebratory months, Gunnlaugsson said. “The flags are directly linked to our business and the company’s support of our ERGs, including LGBTQ+ pride.”
Exxon’s new guidance comes at a time when companies around the world are under pressure to take a stand on social causes such as LGBTQIA+ rights and racial equality.
Disney, for example, was recently asked to take a stand against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay Bill” law, which prohibits teachers from talking about LGBTQIA+ issues to students under the age of nine or any other group. for which they deem the topic inappropriate.
The situation worsened when it was revealed that Disney has, on its list of politicians who receive donations, names that openly support the “Don’t Say Gay Bill”. In addition, employees of Pixar, one of the main animation studios in the world and part of the Walt Disney Company, released a letter in which they accuse the company of censoring scenes of affection between same-sex characters in its films.
After criticism, the company’s executive director, Bob Chapek, went on to condemn the measure and suspend political donations in the state.
Exxon has made strides to improve diversity and extend employee benefits over the past decade, but the rainbow flag dispute is internally considered a setback for LGBTQIA+ employees and their allies, Bloomberg reports.
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