- Wal-Mart said yesterday that it would expand its definition of “immediate family” to include same-sex partners, which will bring its policies into line with laws in some states that recognize same-sex partnerships and civil unions.
While the move was lauded by gay rights organizations, the company did not comment on whether “the change would affect benefits at the nation's largest employer or whether the company was taking a position on same-sex marriage or civil unions,” according to the Associated Press.
However, the Wall Street Journal notes that “Wal-Mart doesn't extend health-insurance benefits to its workers' same-sex partners, unless required to do so by law.”
