Harrah's Goes All In For Equality in Nevada

As my last post on Nevada mentioned, one of the three factors the Las Vegas Sun pointed out as critical to the recent win in Nevada was to “get gaming on board.”  The story behind the support from gaming giant Harrah’s Entertainment is a great case study of how a company can make a huge difference in the fight for LGBT equality.

When Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons vetoed the bill that would extend similar rights enjoyed by legally married Nevada couples to same-sex relationships, Harrah’s, along with HRC and other coalition partners, sprang into action. The company dispatched a delegation of executives and lobbyists to the state capitol to address the issue.  They encouraged their internal LGBT employee business resource group to contact key representatives.  Finally, they sent a letter [pdf] to members of the state senate and assembly outlining a compelling business case for same-sex partnership recognition.  The letter began:

As one of the state’s largest employers in the midst of fighting for visitors to come to our 13 Nevada properties, we have a dire need to manage perceptions that our state is a fair place for business and leisure travel.

If SB283 fails to pass while the public accommodations bill (SB207) moves through, we are concerned that there will be a negative economic impact to our visitor plant. With an overwhelming majority (75%) of Americans who feel that same sex couples should, at a minimum, have domestic partner benefits we are sending other states the wrong message: that our state cares about protecting its visitors over giving its residents very basic rights and benefits.

In 2007, Harrah’s Entertainment paid nearly $300 million in taxes to the State of Nevada. To ensure we have the very best and inclusive workforce, and are authentic to the guests that we cater to, we have inclusive non-discrimination policies, protections against harassment, and offer health and same-sex partner benefits to LGBT employees. For at least several years, Harrah’s has aggressively partnered with and marketed to the LGBT community and its straight and corporate allies – many of which are Fortune 1000 companies and large national media which support Harrah’s because of our work as a fair minded employer and community partner. 

In these efforts, we… draw meetings and conventions, and millions of casino and entertainment guests to Nevada.

It went on to unequivocally assert:

The fact is that Nevada is now competing with a host of other destinations for LGBT travel, and that mainstream America is a much more socially conscious travel market – whether gay or straight. Our state cannot afford to lose any more revenue to other destinations because of a reputation as a place which is not socially or politically the right place to do business or to vacation.

Of course we believe that the argument for LGBT Equality should be obvious.  But for many legislators, especially in a traditionally conservative state like Nevada, it often takes powerful testimony from our influential business allies to bring it home. 

According to the Sun, the partnership “did everything right…some were committed to the issue as a cause, others were speaking on behalf of their employees, and all wanted to send a message to the substantial gay and lesbian tourist market: Nevada is inclusive.”  We salute Harrah’s Entertainment and all companies that work with us in our fight for Equality.