Levi Strauss

Levi Strauss received a score of 100 on the 2026 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)(3). The company 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 (4)(5). In early 2022, former executive Jennifer Sey stated she was “bullied” out of the company for opposing school shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic (6). She turned down a $1 million severance offer in order to retain her right to share her opinions and story about the persecution she received for her viewpoints.

Levi Strauss’ HRC 2026 CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2)(3). The company’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (4)(5). Levi Strauss will not fund “sectarian or religious activities” (6)(7). 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 (8)(9)(10).

Levi Strauss’ HRC 2026 CEI rating indicates the company forces employees to attend at least one, controversial training 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)(3). The company’s 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 (4)(5). Levi Strauss offers unconscious bias training for its employees (6). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its hiring, promotions, and supply chain. From a 2025 shareholder proposal by the National Center for Public Policy Research: “Levi Strauss still has a DEI program, which includes: considering and valuing race and sex in hiring and promotion decisions and in picking suppliers; Employee Resource Groups for some groups (only those arbitrarily deemed ‘diverse’), but not for others; and contributing shareholder money to organizations that advance DEI” (7)(8). Levi Strauss does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (9)(10).

Levi Strauss’ HRC 2026 CEI rating indicates the company potentially 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)(3). The company’s 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 (4)(5). Levi Strauss 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 (6). The company opposed various state and local legislation intended to protect parental rights, girls’ sports, bathroom facilities, and gendered spaces (7)(8). Levi Strauss opposed legislation in Iowa intended to protect parental rights, girls’ sports, bathroom facilities, and gendered spaces (9). The company opposed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which would prohibit teaching gender identity and sexual orientation to kids in K-3rd grade (10). Levi Strauss CEO Charles “Chip” Bergh wrote a letter in support of more restrictive gun control efforts and is a signatory to CEOs For Gun Safety (11)(12). Bergh has also criticized state-level election security laws, particularly in Texas and Georgia, calling them “racist” (13). The company advocates for immigration reform (14)(15). Levi Strauss is a Ceres Network Member, committed to carbon neutrality by 2040 (16)(17)(18). It has also publicized its support of a letter condemning the Department of Health “threatening to narrow the definition of gender” and of the Adams Amicus Brief (19). Levi Strauss is a member of the “Don’t Ban Equality” business coalition, which advocates against any abortion restrictions because they are “bad for business” (20). The company’s president & CEO, Chip Bergh, denounced various states’ legislative efforts to protect election integrity and security (21). Levi Strauss signed an amicus brief in opposition to the 2016 North Carolina bathroom bill HB2, which required people to use the bathroom of their biological sex (22). Its former CEO, Chip Bergh, signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace (23)(24). Levi Strauss was a contributing member of GARM’s Action Guide to Reduce Media Greenhouse Gas Emissions which provides an action plan for media companies to transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions (25). In May 2024, when other companies were scaling back on Pride month events and support, Levi Strauss stated that it “has no plans to scale back its Pride Month collection or celebration…We are excited about this year’s collection and our plans to engage consumers” (26).

Levi Strauss 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. The company stated, “Business leaders are responsible for protecting the health and well-being of our employees, and that includes protecting reproductive rights and abortion access” (1)(2). The company’s HRC 2026 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, lab monitoring, and mental health benefits. The company also covers at least five of the following services: reconstructive hair removal, cosmetic hair removal, tracheal shave or reduction, facial surgeries, voice modification surgery, voice modification therapy, lipoplasty or filling for body masculinization or feminization, and travel and lodging expenses. Additionally, the company has potentially 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 (3)(4)(5)(6). Levi Strauss’ 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 (7)(8). The company has donated to Planned Parenthood (9)(10). Levi Strauss is a Silver 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. Dockers, a subsidiary of the company, was a Champion Tier corporate sponsor of the Trevor Project (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16). The company has pledged $37 million to the Black Lives Matter movement and related causes, including the ACLU (17)(18)(19). Levi Strauss is a partner of the HRC’s Foundation (20). The company donated $100,000 to “Outright International, a global organization working to advance human rights for LGBTQ+ people all over the world” (21).

Levi Strauss’s 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 does not operate a PAC at this time and has not used its lobbying for ideological purposes (3)(4)(5).