Yum! Brands

Yum! Brands 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 issues. 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 publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (3).

Yum! Brands’ HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2). The company likely uses Benevity as its charitable giving platform. Benevity vets charities according to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hate List, which includes mainstream libertarian, conservative, family, and religious advocacy organizations (3)(4)(5).

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Yum! Brands’ HRC 2025 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). In June 2022 America First Legal filed a letter with the EEOC requesting a civil rights investigation into Yum! Brands over discriminatory practices in hiring (3)(4). The company provides inclusive leadership training across all corporate offices, franchisees and restaurants around the world (5). The company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (6).

Yum! Brands’ HRC 2025 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). The company has signed the OneTen pledge to implement more race-based hiring practices (3). Subsidiary brand Pizza Hut has sponsored an event by the Antiracist Research and Policy Center, which endorses the teaching of critical race theory in schools (4). Its CEO, David Gibbs, signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace (5)(6). The company has implemented an ESG policy and commented at length on its ESG leadership (7). CEO David Gibbs is a member of the Business Roundtable (8). In 2022, subsidiary Taco Bell hosted drag brunches across the country (9). The company’s CEO stated that the company made a “formal commitment in our annual goal-setting and performance reviews.” to elevate diversity and inclusion within the company (10).

Yum! Brands’ HRC 2025 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, the company 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 (1)(2). The company and its subsidiary brands pledged a sum $3 million to “social justice efforts” in 2020, some portion of which went to the ACLU (3)(4). The company is a member of the MCCA, indicating its focus on recruiting, retaining, and promoting employees based on race (5)(6). It is a Brass sponsor of Out & Equal (7)(8). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (9).

Yum! Brands’ HRC 2025 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 not used its PAC donations or lobbying for ideological purposes (3)(4)(5).