The company is part of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media. Hershey's received criticism for featuring a transgender as part of its celebration of International Women's Day. Hershey's scored a 100 on the 2023 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. By complying with the HRC’s controversial demands, Hershey's increases the risk of dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders. The company covers transgender-related medical costs for its employees and their children and provides specific sexual orientation and gender identity-based benefits. It also uses sex and gender ideology criteria in employee recruitment, vendor selection, marketing, and philanthropic support. Hershey's forces employees to undergo multiple ideological trainings and uses its reputation, corporate funds, and political influence to support controversial sex and gender ideologies, organizations, and legislation. America First Legal filed a letter with the EEOC requesting a civil rights investigation into Hershey's over discriminatory practices in hiring. Hershey's is a corporate partner of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and supports the Equality Act. For these reasons, The Hershey Company receives a High Risk rating.