American Express (AmEx)

New York
Diversified Financials

Risk Level:

Rating - Caution
Medium Risk

Summary:

American Express has not publicly canceled clients due to religious or political beliefs. However, American Express has pledged to vet vendors for pro-LGBTQ policies. AmEx has advocated for the Equality Act and transgenders in girls' sports. AmEx does not protect its employees against viewpoint discrimination. The company funds Planned Parenthood and uses a product code for legal firearm purchases. For these reasons, American Express receives a "Medium Risk" rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

American Express has not publicly terminated business relationships due to religious beliefs or political views. The company received a score of 100 on the Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign. Among other requirements, this means American Express has pledged to vet vendors based on pro-LGBTQ policies (1).

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

American Express does not discriminate against religious organizations in its charitable giving (1)(2).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

American Express does not protect its employees from viewpoint discrimination (1).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

American Express has signed open letters supporting the Equality Act and affirming transgender participation in women’s and girls’ sports (1) (2). AmEx Board members protested state voting integrity bills (3). AmEx has also imposed teachings on employees that said certain religious beliefs conferred different levels of privilege, and these radical lectures magnified divisions based on inherent characteristics and beliefs (4). The company opposed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in schools to kids in K-3rd grade (5). AmEx utilizes a new product code for legal firearms, allowing for the potential tracking of legal gun purchases (6).  

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

American Express has funded Planned Parenthood (1). AmEx also paid for critical race theory style seminars for its employees that said that “capitalism is evil,” among other things (2). It pledged $1 billion to social justice works (3).

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

American Express donates in a bipartisan matter (1).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 21, 2023

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