ExxonMobil announced Friday it will extend benefits to same-sex couples.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney)
Beginning Oct. 1, ExxonMobil employees in legal same-sex marriages will be eligible to receive health insurance coverage for their spouses, the oil giant said in a statement.
The company's decision was less of a change of heart than it was a technical update stemming from this summer's Supreme Court decision to recognize same-sex marriages for federal purposes.
Related: Pasta maker Barilla under fire for anti-gay comments
"The decision is consistent with the direction of most U.S. government agencies," ExxonMobil said in the statement. "We have made no change in the definition of eligibility for our U.S. benefit plans. Spousal eligibility in our U.S. benefit plans has been and continues to be governed by the federal definition of marriage and spouse."
ExxonMobil (XOM, Fortune 500) has long been criticized for having anti-LGBT policies. It currently has a lawsuit pending against it for discriminating against a lesbian applicant, and it received the lowest "corporate equality" score of any U.S. company in last year's Human Rights Campaign rankings.
Related: Same-sex benefits at conservative Wal-Mart: What gives?
Friday's announcement was therefore welcomed by gay rights groups.
"After years of stubbornly refusing, we commend Exxon for joining the majority of the Fortune 500 business leaders that already treat gay and lesbian married couples equally under employee benefit plans," Tico Almeida, president of Freedom to Work, said in a statement. "It's a shame Exxon waited until after the Labor Department issued official guidance explaining that their old policy does not comply with American law, and now it's time to move forward."
A growing number of companies have been updating their policies to become more LGBT-friendly. This summer, Walmart (WMT, Fortune 500) announced it will offer benefits to same-sex and domestic partners. As of the beginning of this year, 89% of U.S. companies provide health benefits to same-sex couples, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
But other companies continue to get bad press from the LGBT community. Just Thursday, pasta maker Barilla came under fire for comments its CEO made about refusing to feature same-sex couples in the company's commercials. The remarks sparked a firestorm on Twitter and led to a boycott of the company's products. 
First Published: September 27, 2013: 4:41 PM ET
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