Southern Company

Southern 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 (1)(2). However, the company has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (3).

Southern Company’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2). However, the company does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (3)(4). Southern Company’s charitable giving focus areas are “arts and culture, health and human services, civic and community projects, safety, education and the environment” (5).

Southern 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 (1)(2). The company offers DE&I training to its employees (3). Southern Company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its recruitment, hiring, leadership composition and supply chain. From its Moving to Racial Equity document: “Our commitment over the next five years is to increase and improve outreach, recruitment, hiring and retention of diverse groups at all levels of the workforce; ensure equity in leadership development programs; and seek diverse candidate slates for management roles” and “We will increase our total spend with Diverse and MBE suppliers and place greater focus on doing business with diverse and Black-owned businesses, both as prime suppliers and sub-contractors (4). However, the company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (5).

Southern 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 (1)(2). The company’s CEO, Chris Womack, is a member of the Business Roundtable and signed the Business Roundtable’s 2019 Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation, which promotes stakeholder capitalism over traditional obligations to shareholders (3)(4). Southern Company’s former CEO, Tom Fanning, 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 (5)(6). The company is committed to net zero emissions by 2050 (7). The company supports DEI within its business practices. From its Moving to Racial Equity document: “Southern Company is transitioning toward a more holistic goal of diversity, equity and inclusion to ensure all groups, and especially historically underrepresented and marginalized groups, are well represented, included and fairly treated within all levels of the organization and that everyone feels welcomed, valued and respected” (8). Southern Company made the following statement on its Moving to Racial Equity document, which has since been deleted from its website: “We find ourselves at a critical moment in history when very necessary and
important discussions about racism and racial injustice are taking place. The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbrey, Rayshard Brooks and many other Black Americans awakened a growing recognition of the cumulative and compounded effects of systemic racial barriers and bias across institutions and society” (9).

Southern Company’s 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 has donated to Planned Parenthood and donated $200 million to racial equity and social justice causes, including $50 million to a net zero carbon future (3)(4). Southern Company is a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (5). The company is a Bronze Sponsor of Atlanta Pride 2026 (6). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Southern Company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (7)(8).

Southern Company’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 has not used its PAC donations for ideological purposes (3)(4). In 2021 and 2022, Southern Company lobbied for the “Methane Emissions Reduction Act of 2021” (5)(6).