Faith-based and conservative institutions:
* Do you know how your proxy votes are being cast?
* Are your proxy voting guidelines genuinely consistent with your values, or are they “faith-based” in name only?
At American Express’s recent annual meeting, detransitioner Soren Aldaco shared her story, and how corporate health insurance covering sex-denying interventions for minors feeds the tragedy. The event was an opportunity for faith-based, conservative, and pro-fiduciary investors to ask themselves whether they know how their proxy votes are being cast.
The proposal Soren advocated for — asking Amex for a risk report on transgender treatments for minors on its healthcare plans — received just 0.43% support.
Some faith-based groups publicly opposed the proposal, but Bowyer Research has issued a report correcting the inaccuracies behind their objections, setting the record straight on the proposal itself, on Soren’s story, and on the legal landscape companies actually face.
Ultimately: holding American Express is not the problem, wasting proxy votes is. Shareholders have real power to chart a company’s course by surfacing risks it hasn’t adequately addressed. The question is whether those who recognize the harm of transgender healthcare interventions for minors are actually using that tool.