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Brown-Forman Receives Perfect Score from the Human Rights Campaign

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  Published in House and Home on Tuesday, October 5th 2010 at 9:40 GMT by Market Wire
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LOUISVILLE, Ky.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Brown-Forman (NYSE:BFB) (NYSE:BFA) received a perfect score of 100 points out of 100 in this yeara™s Corporate Equality Index (CEI), an increase of 15 points over last yeara™s tally of 85 points. A total of 615 businesses were rated this year. The average rating across the entire index was 87 percent, compared to 86 percent last year. Companies are evaluated for their policies and practices affecting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) employees.

"Brown-Forman is an inclusive organization that seeks to learn from the diverse backgrounds and unique talents each of our employees brings to the table."

aBrown-Forman has long supported the GLBT community and receiving a perfect score is an indicator of our continued commitment to equality in the workplace,a said Brown-Forman Chief Diversity Officer Ralph de Chabert. aBrown-Forman is an inclusive organization that seeks to learn from the diverse backgrounds and unique talents each of our employees brings to the table.a

Last year, Brown-Forman implemented domestic partner benefits regardless of gender or sexual orientation; created employee resource groups for GLBT, African-American, Hispanic, and female employees; began requiring mandatory training of all employees on diversity and sexual orientation in the workplace; amended its nondiscrimination policy to include transgender and sexual identity expression; and stipulated that its travel & entertainment and relocation policies could not exclude GLBT employees and/or their partners on that basis.

The Human Rights Campaign is Americaa™s largest civil rights organization that works to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender equality. The HRC is perhaps best known for its annual Corporate Equality Index, [ http://www.hrc.org ], released each fall that provides an in-depth analysis and rating of large U.S. employers and their policies and practices relating to GLBT employees.

For 140 years, Brown-Forman Corporation has enriched the experience of life by responsibly building fine quality beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniela™s Tennessee Whiskey, Southern Comfort, Finlandia, Jack Daniela™s & Cola, Canadian Mist, Fetzer, Korbel, Gentleman Jack, el Jimador, Tequila Herradura, Sonoma-Cutrer, Chambord, New Mix, Tuaca, Woodford Reserve, and Bonterra. Brown-Formana™s brands are supported by nearly 4,000 employees and sold in approximately 135 countries worldwide. For more information about the company, please visit [ http://www.brown-forman.com/ ].