Capital One Announces Strong Support For the Equality Act

Ahead of congressional action on the Equality Act — federal legislation that would update and harmonize the existing patchwork of state level LGBTQ+ protections to prevent discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community — Capital One's Chief Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Officer, Meghan Welch, shared the following statement in support of the bill's passage:

“Everyone deserves the certainty of knowing they can’t be fired, evicted, declined credit, or refused basic services because of who they love or how they identify. Denying the LGBTQ+ community these basic protections runs counter to the ideals of our Democracy and the values we cherish at Capital One. We have a long track record of advocating for policies that advance all dimensions of LGBTQ+ equality, from housing and employment protections to marriage equality, and are proud to have been an early adopter of policies promoting equality and belonging in the workplace, as one of the first major companies to offer same-sex partner benefits back in 1997. We believe all people have a fundamental right to equality, which is why we stand in strong support of the Equality Act and are committed to championing its passage.” 

What is the Equality Act?

First introduced in 2015, the Equality Act aims to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination across many areas of life including the workplace, housing, credit and education. Civil rights laws currently protect people on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, disability and religion. 

What Would the Equality Act Do?

Millions of LGBTQ+ Americans are still subject to discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The Equality Act would change that, and Capital One is proud to be advocating for its passage in partnership with businesses across America and our friends at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). These efforts build on our track record of supporting public policies that advance critical protections and equality for the LGBTQ+ community, including advocating for marriage equality before the landmark Supreme Court decision in 2015 and working through the HRC’s Business Coalition to champion the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA), legislation that would prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment practices. 

As one of the first major companies to offer same-sex marriage benefits as early as 1997, Capital One has long been committed to fostering an open and inclusive work environment for all our associates including LGBTQ+ employees. We have since continued to build our benefits portfolio, which now includes a host of other LGBTQ+ inclusive offerings from fertility coverage to reimbursements for associates who choose to build their families through adoption and surrogacy, to domestic partner benefits and health coverage for gender reassignment. 

Advocating for positive change on behalf of LGBTQ+ associates, customers and communities

At Capital One, we know that our diversity and inclusivity makes us stronger — more innovative, nimble and resilient. We’re committed to advancing a culture of belonging for all of our associates because we know that, in doing so, we improve the lives of our people, our business and our communities. That’s why Capital One is so invested in the passage of the Equality Act:  we are committed to using our voice and our platform to advocate for positive change on behalf of our associates, customers and communities.