Attraction & Retention of Top Talent

When a company invests in Arizona, their ability to achieve a successful return on their investment heavily depends on being able to recruit and retain the right people.

The fact that we are located in a state without fully inclusive laws puts these companies — and the leadership teams responsible for filling these positions — at a significant competitive disadvantage when recruiting top talent.

Because even if you are an inclusive company – that’s not enough. Current and future employees want to know they are protected both in and out of the workplace. They don’t want to worry about being denied housing or refused service from a restaurant or retailer simply because they are gay or transgender.

The unfortunate reality is that today in Arizona, only 11 municipalities have LGBTQ+ inclusive protections, meaning gay and transgender Arizonans can either lose or gain rights depending on where they are within our great state.

Think about it - as an LGBTQ Arizonan, even if you work at a company with inclusive policies, when you leave your office to have lunch at a restaurant, it may be perfectly legal to discriminate against you depending on your cross streets. Employees and prospective employees don’t want their rights to depend on their zip code, and they shouldn’t have to.

If we want leading companies to invest throughout Arizona — and to attract and retain top talent that will help us compete in the 21st century economy — we have to create an inclusive environment where everyone can succeed regardless of who they are, who they love or where they live.

Add your signature to the largest equality pledge in the nation — the UNITY Pledge!