Company officials of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Wednesday their antidiscrimination policy has been amended to include homosexuals.

Wal-Mart is the largest private employer in the country.

Though company spokesman Tom Williams said the change was not affected by the U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring sodomy laws unconstitutional, it's good to see a big player in corporate America join the movement for the rights of the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community.

"We want all of our associates to feel they are treated with respect and valued, with no exceptions at all," Williams told The Associated Press.

The company, based in Arkansas, employs more than 1 million people and is the largest retailer in the world.

Wal-Mart is the ninth company out of 10 of the largest companies on the Fortune 500 list to include the LBGT community in its antidiscrimination policy.

While it might seem the company is lagging behind a bit in the fight against discrimination, it's always better late than never.

The 10th company is the Exxon Mobil Corp. The corporation should now feel the pressure from not only its nine closest peers, but from the other 309 companies on Fortune's list to include this type of policy.

Of those companies, 197 give medical coverage to domestic partners, including some airlines and the Big Three, The New York Times reports.

Wal-Mart's policy change does not affect benefits, which Williams said are not offered to unmarried partners of any sexual orientation.

A wave of change has come in the matter of gay rights, and Wal-Mart is the most recent addition. Gay bishops are being elected in churches around the world. Canada is on the brink of nationally legalizing homosexual marriages. Then there was the Supreme Court decision on sodomy last week.

Civil rights is taking a leap forward with all this activity, and it's good to see a normally conservative company take part.

And it's encouraging to see this movement finally gather steam within the United States.

Wal-Mart is an especially welcome participant.

The company's stores can be found all across the nation, and a community business such as Wal-Mart should definitely have a policy to protect gay and lesbian employees.

Their audience is large and influential, and their stance on homosexual rights will affect a great many people, hopefully all in a positive way.

No company is perfect, however. Wal-Mart has enjoyed a slight history of censorship while attempting to not anger their conservative shoppers.

The corporation recently halted the sale of three men's magazines which are too racy, and partly block the covers of four women's magazines, preventing shoppers from reading provocative headlines, according to the Times report.

Nevertheless, Wal-Mart can serve as an example to other companies that wish to give all citizens the protection from discrimination they deserve.