By Jeff McKinney
Enquirer staff writer

Fifth Third Bancorp said Tuesday it has decided to include gays and lesbians in the company's non-discrimination policy, reversing a company policy that did not include such practices by the Cincinnati banking giant.

With nearly 19,000 employees and plans to hire 1,000 more, Fifth Third saw amending the policy as a way to formalize its existing employment policy, said Robbie Jennings, Fifth Third's spokeswoman.

She said bank executives decided last week to amend the policy, and it became effective immediately. The bank said the decision was made before Cincinnati resident John Angelo announced he was organizing a local campaign to protest the bank's omitting sexual orientation from its employment policy.

Angelo had said the campaign, called Move Your Money, would draw 100 Fifth Third customers to Fountain Square on July 6 who said they would take their money out of the bank. Angelo said Tuesday he would cancel the rally in light of the bank's announcement.

Fifth Third said its investors voted down a proposal on including sexual orientation from Boston-based portfolio management firm NorthStar Asset Management at the annual meeting in March.

Julie Goodridge, president of NorthStar, said Fifth Third might have changed its mind because of pressure from shareholders. She said the bank could have been concerned about potential boycotts from community activists.

"We're absolutely ecstatic with Fifth Third's announcement," she said.

Of the nation's Fortune 500 companies, about 72 percent include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies, according to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Local companies with such policies include Procter & Gamble, Kroger, Federated Department Stores and Cinergy.

E-mail jmckinney@enquirer.com