On the record statement from Chad Griffin:
Like many organizations and companies throughout our country, HRC has embarked on a
thoughtful and comprehensive diversity and inclusion effort with the goals of better
representing the communities we serve -- and hiring, nurturing and retaining a workforce
that not only looks like America but feels respected and appreciated for the hard work
they do every day.
Diversity and inclusion work is never an end, it’s always a journey and while it’s clear
that we have a long way to go on that journey as an organization – and as a movement -the important and indisputable facts are that we realized the need for change, that we
have done a significant amount of self-examination and reflection, and that we have put
plans in place that are resulting in positive changes.
One element of this process was for HRC to proactively bring in outside experts to work
with our staff to measure the workplace climate and offer recommendations on how it
could be improved. The fact that the organization embraced self-examination of this kind
means that we’re committed to improvement. As we fully anticipated, the report flagged
problem areas that the organization has already begun to tackle aggressively. We’ll
continue to address them, one by one, as any serious organization recognizing these
challenges would.
In addition to expanding our programmatic work that reaches more diverse communities
from transgender Americans to those living with HIV to LGBT people living in the Deep
South, we’re proud of the fact that our staff today largely reflects the diversity of the
communities we serve.
Female
Male

48%
52%

African-American
Hispanic
Asian
Two Races or More
Caucasian

13%
7%
7%
3%
70%

Trans/Gender Expansive

4.7%

The organization is clearly committed to positive change. As the research phase of this
effort was getting underway, I was appearing before Southern Comfort to offer a fullthroated apology to the trans community on behalf of HRC. There should be no doubt
that this entire effort is intentional and part of a continuous cycle of improvement.
Viewed alone, this report doesn’t reflect the entirety of our journey or our commitment to
diversity. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made and are fully committed to doing
better.