Last week, The Heritage Foundation released a very important report detailing the risks companies face from affiliating with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and its Corporate Equality Index (CEI).
The report provides valuable insight into the scope of HRC’s influence on corporate America and the organizations pushing back against it.
Any institution concerned about the growing influence of modern gender ideology should familiarize itself with these findings.
In short, the CEI pressures companies to incorporate gender ideology into nearly every aspect of corporate governance, including employee healthcare benefits, charitable giving, and marketing.
Its influence likely contributed to the controversial Bud Light and Target marketing decisions in 2023.
Fortune 500 CEI participation dropped 65% this year, marking its first significant decline.
However, according to Inspire Investing and the 1792 Exchange, there are still 242 publicly traded companies with a Verified 100 on the 2026 CEI, indicating coverage of transgender medical interventions for minors.
Furthermore, 40 companies remain corporate partners of the HRC, including T-Mobile.
This raises questions about T-Mobile’s pledge last year to the Federal Communications Commission that its approach to external organizations is “driven by [its] desire to advance [its] core business objectives.”
Another corporate partner is Dell Technologies, which receives more than $3 billion in federal contracts per year.
This is particularly noteworthy because HRC itself acknowledged that federal contractors were disproportionately withdrawing from the CEI, potentially reflecting concerns about federal contracting requirements.
Yet HRC corporate sponsorship represents a more direct affiliation with the organization than simply participating in its CEI.
Despite this, Dell remains listed as an HRC Corporate Partner.
As companies increasingly reassess their relationships with the HRC and its CEI, they should consider whether continued affiliation is consistent with their stated commitments to political neutrality, their core business objectives, and the interests of their shareholders.