The organization argues that these requirements will foster inclusivity and benefit the mental health of trans-identified adults and children.

The CEI is a national benchmarking tool HRC created to evaluate and measure corporate policies, practices, and benefits related to members of the LGBTQ community. It essentially analyzes how a corporation caters to the desires of LGBTQ workers.

The index scores companies on a scale of 0 to 100 using several criteria. These include non-discrimination policies, benefits, culture, and corporate social responsibility. Now, the HRC is requiring employers to pay for transgender treatments in order to achieve a top score.

“To secure full credit for benefits criteria, benefit must be explicitly affirmed in contract documentation and available to all benefits-eligible U.S. employees,” the announcement explains. “When more than one health insurance plan is available, at least one inclusive plan must be available. Broad exclusions must be removed from all plans.”

The HRC provides a list of “required” benefits that employers must provide for LGBTQ employees. These include “mental health benefits,” “Pharmaceutical coverage (hormone replacement therapies),” “Coverage for reconstructive surgical procedures (must include chest, breast, and genital procedures),” and “Pharmaceutical coverage (e.g., hormone replacement therapies, including puberty blockers for youth).

HRC claims that participating in the CEI survey grants corporations positive publicity to help them attract top talent while appealing to a wider customer base. Of course, the opposite is also implied if a company does not kowtow enough to the LGBTQ community, meaning that the index could be used to smear their reputations, a favorite tactic of the hard left.

There are several issues with what HRC is doing. For starters, the organization seeks to pressure companies to pay for treatments that can cause irreversible damage to youngsters dealing with gender confusion. The harm this causes can create deep problems for these individuals, especially after they reach adulthood.

Several studies have shown that not only does “gender-affirming care” fail to produce positive results for mental health, it can often have a devastating impact later on. These revelations have prompted several European countries to halt the use of these treatments for children, citing weak evidence for their efficacy.

Moreover, updating the CEI criteria is a clear overreach on HRC’s part. The organization is using its position of influence to push corporations to pay for procedures that do not align with their values or the religious beliefs of the owners. Even further, it is trying to coerce these entities into pouring funds into something that could alienate its customer base. As more people learn the truth about “gender-affirming care” for children, this could create more issues for corporations that bow to the pressure.

There is nothing surprising about the HRC’s move. It is part of a broader effort to force gender ideology on as many people as possible. Corporations are just one vehicle through which progressives seek to perpetuate the lie that men can become women and vice versa.

It’s not enough for companies to simply accept that some folks identify as transgender. It is not even enough to treat these individuals as they would treat everyone else. The progressive left wants to coerce corporations to actively participate in, support, and celebrate transgenderism.

By mandating insurance coverage for pediatric sex change interventions, the HRC claims they are furthering inclusivity and support for transgender individuals. However, this move appears to be yet another way to force their will on others.