AEP Receives Perfect Score, Named One Of The Best Places To Work For LGBTQ Equality

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Jan 31, 2020, 15:13 ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) has been named one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. AEP earned a perfect score on the foundation's 2020 Corporate Equality Index, an annual measure of how equitably large businesses in the United States treat their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees, consumers and investors.

"AEP is proud to be recognized as a leader in LGBTQ-inclusive policies, practices and benefits," said Nicholas K. Akins, AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer. "We're dedicated to creating a welcoming work environment that supports employees from all backgrounds and encourages them to use their unique experiences to best serve our customers and communities."

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation rated companies based on three criteria: non-discrimination policies across business entities; equitable benefits for LGBTQ workers and their families; and supporting and inclusive culture and corporate social responsibility.

AEP's perfect score was achieved by meeting the following requirements:

Prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation for all operations
Prohibits discrimination based on gender identity for all operations
Equivalency in same- and different-sex spousal medical and soft benefits
Equivalency in same- and different-sex domestic partner medical and soft benefits
Equal health coverage for transgender individuals without exclusion for medically necessary care
Three LGBTQ internal training and education best practices
Employee group or diversity council
Three distinct efforts of outreach or engagement to the broader LGBTQ community; and if a supplier diversity program is in place, must include LGBTQ suppliers
Contractor/supplier non-discrimination standards and philanthropic giving guidelines

American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP's approximately 18,000 employees operate and maintain the nation's largest electricity transmission system and more than 219,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation's largest electricity producers with approximately 31,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including more than 5,200 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP's family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas and the Texas Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. For more information, visit aep.com.

SOURCE American Electric Power