Headline Roundup • September 18th, 2024
Major Corporations Abandoning LGBTQ+ Rights Report Card and DEI Principles
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Several major corporations are abandoning certain LGBTQ+ and DEI initiatives in the wake of pushback from conservatives.
The Details: Ford, Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply Co., John Deere, and Lowe’s are among the notable companies doing away with the Human Rights Campaign’s over two-decade-old LGBTQ+ rights report card, and other DEI policies. The move reportedly comes after conservative activist Robby Starbuck threatened to “expose” the companies for their policies.
From the Left: The Associated Press (Lean Left bias) described the developments as the result of an “attack in recent months by conservative activists who targeted businesses as part of a broader pushback against diversity initiatives.” AP framed its coverage through the progress LGBTQ+ rights have seen in the United States since the report card began and attributed the public’s turning on DEI to the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision.
From the Right: The Daily Caller (Right bias) framed its coverage through Starbuck’s report that he had gotten Black & Decker to change course, and did not mention the LGBTQ+ rights report card. It included context on initiatives Black & Decker reportedly had in place, like a “pronoun contest” and sponsoring “gender transitions” for employees’ children.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Minh Connors/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
More than two decades ago, when gay men and lesbians were prohibited from serving openly in the U.S. military and no state had legalized same-sex marriages, a national LGBTQ+ rights group decided to promote change by grading corporations on their workplace policies.
The Human Rights Campaign initially focused its report card, named the Corporate Equality Index, on ensuring that gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer employees did not face discrimination in hiring and on the job. Just 13 companies received a perfect score in 2002. By last year, 545 businesses did even though the requirements have expanded.
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Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Stanley Black & Decker, the owner of popular hardware brands like Craftsman and DEWALT, is ditching many of its diversity efforts after conservative activist Robby Starbuck threatened to expose them, he told the Caller.
The company is dropping a number of DEI policies, including dismantling their DEI department and abandoning a mandate to buy from diverse suppliers, Starbuck told viewers in a Monday video he posted to X.
