The Human Rights Campaign, the top gay rights lobby, compiles a yearly list of the nation’s most “gay-friendly” companies complete with a rating system from best to worst, and here is the latest: (in pdf format)

The information in this guide comes from the 2012 Corporate Equality Index, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s annual report card on corporate America’s treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Businesses are rated on a scale from 0 to 100, based on whether or not they have policies that support LGBT employees. These include anti-discrimination protections, domestic partner benefits, diversity training and transgender-inclusive benefits. We provide an estimated score to businesses that have not, after repeated attempts, responded to the survey. An estimated score is reflective of the information that HRC has been able to collect without help or input from a business.

So for example, if you want to help out businesses that haven’t fallen in step with the gay rights agenda, you might shop at Trader Joe’s instead of Whole Foods, Exxon instead of Shell, or Ace Hardware instead of Home Depot.

Starbucks, which the National Organization for Marriage has organized a protest against, is listed as an “HRC National Corporate Partner” (meanwhile, Caribou Coffee has a low rating at only 15 points.)

Other prominent Corporate Partners, those whose support “is directly tied to the Human Rights Campaign’s success in ensuring equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans,” include Microsoft, Google, Bank of America, American Airlines, Dell, IBM, and Nike.

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