WASHINGTON (FMLiveWire) -- The fabulously rich bankers and traders at Goldman Sachs who enjoy big salaries and bonuses now enjoy free sex-change surgery in a new perk.
Fortune.com reported recently that Goldman added coverage of sex-reassignment surgery to its medical plan last year.
The "unusual perk" raised Goldman to no. 9 in Fortune's latest ranking of the 100 best companies to work for in the USA.
Goldman employees are now avidly undergoing the procedure, which costs up to $150,000, paid for entirely by their medical insurance.
Bank of America, Wachovia and Deutsche Bank are among other big financial firms which now cover such treatments all or in part.
Goldman and Bank of America will cover the cost of the entire operation, while Wachovia doesn't cover the surgery but will cover prescriptions and post-operative counseling.
Goldman's enhanced sex change coverage is part of the firm's efforts to "recruit and retain a more diverse workforce," a Goldman spokesperson said. "Most of our employees are kind of kinky to begin with, so most of them have welcomed the new coverage. All our top male executives are going for it."
The expanded coverage "will cost employers a bit more in the short term, but it's a small price to pay to attract and keep top multi-sexual talent," said Pauline Parkman, chair of the New York Association for GenderBender Rights. "Employers should encourage their workers to change their sex at least once," she said.
--Copyright Felix Minderbinder Live Wire
