Ernst & Young (EY)

EY received a score of 100 on the 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (1)(2). However, the company has not canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (3).

EY‘s HRC 2023-2024 CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2). The company does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs. EY’s charitable giving focus areas are “higher education and preparation for professional service careers in business” (3)(4).

EY‘s HRC 2023-2024 CEI rating indicates the company forces employees to attend multiple, controversial trainings on gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender issues, and divisive racial ideology. The company provides gender transition guidelines for its employees and a specific benefits guide with a comprehensive explanation of transgender services funded by the company (1)(2). EY’s US Chair and Managing Partner and Americas Managing Partner Julie Boland signed Catalyst’s Champions for Change pledge, indicating its support of DEI in its leadership composition through the establishment of gender and racial targets (3)(4). The company is a signatory of the Gender & Diversity KPI Alliance, appearing to prioritize diversity over merit in its business structure through the establishment of gender and racial targets for its leadership composition and its support of DEI in its hiring and promotions (5)(6). EY does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (7).

EY‘s HRC 2023-2024 CEI rating indicates the company agrees to allow a controversial stakeholder group focused on sexual identity issues to dictate marketing or advertising strategy. By doing so, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (1)(2). EY’s PGLE membership reflects its commitment to provide “tools and resources for companies to advance and implement LGBTI inclusion globally” (3)(4)(5)(6). The company signed an open letter endorsing the Equality Act, a contentious proposal to amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act by adding sexual orientation and so-called gender identity as protected categories. The legislation would, among other implications, grant biological men access to women-only spaces such as sports teams and public restrooms, and compel healthcare providers to deliver sex-denying healthcare (7). The company’s CEO, Carmine Di Sibio, is a member of the Business Roundtable and signed its 2019 Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation, which promotes stakeholder capitalism over traditional obligations to shareholders (8)(9). EY is a member of the Net Zero Financial Service Providers Alliance, committed to carbon neutrality by 2050 (10). EY is a member of Carbon Measures, an organization committed to “establishing a more accurate carbon accounting framework and driving market-based solutions to reduce emissions at the lowest cost” (11)(12). The company’s former CEO, Julie Boland, signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace, strategize on DEI programs/initiatives with other signatories, and engage boards of directors when developing and evaluating DEI strategies (13)(14). In June 2017, EY co-founded CEO Action, the largest CEO-driven business initiative to advance DEI in the workplace (15). The company offers DEI consulting services (16).

EY provides a benefits package for employees that covers travel/lodging costs for an abortion and transgender medical procedures for covered employees and dependents, including children (1)(2)(3). The company‘s HRC 2023-2024 CEI rating indicates the company covers transgender related costs for its employees and their children, including paid short-term leave, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, chest surgeries, genital surgeries, medical visits and lab monitoring, travel and lodging. Additionally, EY has pledged philanthropic support of at least one organization or event that promotes sex and gender ideology. By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (4)(5). The company is a corporate sponsor of the HRC (6). EY is a founding member of the PGLE (7). EY is a Bronze Tier corporate sponsor of the Trevor Project, an organization that advocates for controversial sex and gender ideology, including “gender transition” drugs and surgeries for minors, through legislation, litigation, advertising, and PR campaigns. The organization also hosts online chatrooms that allow adults to communicate with minors as young as 13 about sexually explicit topics. Adults in these chatrooms have encouraged minors to adopt transgender identities and withhold this information from their parents (8)(9)(10)(11)(12). The company is also a copper sponsor of Out & Equal (13). EY is a founding corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (14). Additionally, in 2023, “EY leadership announced a $1 million gift to the EY Foundation, enabling each region in the US to direct $250,000 to not-for-profit organizations that offer support, resources and allyship in the fight against violence, hate and their tragic consequences. Eleven organizations were selected to receive grant funding, including 100 Black Men of America, the Anti-Defamation League and the Ascend Foundation” (15). The company is a corporate partner of Ashoka, a global network of entrepreneurs focused on widespread, systemic social and environmental change (16). EY sponsored WorldPride 2025 (17). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (18).

EY‘s HRC 2023-2024 CEI rating indicates the company publicly advocated for controversial sex and gender ideology through local, state or federal legislation or initiatives. By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (1)(2). The company has donated to the Equality PAC and lobbied for the Equality Act (3)(4)(5).