Lowe's Home Improvement abandons DEI after threats from fringe online extremists
Home improvement retailer Lowe's is the latest company to abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, and online conservative extremists are taking the credit.An internal memo from the company, obtained by multiple outlets, informed employees that Lowe's will no longer be participating in the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) corporate equality index, and that its internal employee support resources for those belonging to minority groups will all be combined into one umbrella program. The company also said it would end its sponsorship and participation in community events such as parades, festivals, or fairs — referring to LGBTQ+ Pride parades.Far-right conspiracy theorist and failed filmmaker Robby Starbuck took credit for the company's decision, writing on Twitter/X: "I messaged Lowe's executives last week to let them know that I planned to expose their woke policies. This morning I woke up to an email where they preemptively made big changes."Starbuck and other conservatives targeted Lowe's after a fake quote from the company's CEO, Marvin Ellison, circulated online. One account on X, @DocNetyoutube, a self-described MAGA supporter, claimed that the CEO said: "If conservatives do not like our values, they should take their money to Home Depot." Ellison did not say that, which the account later clarified. Starbuck has used his over half a million followers the platform to target companies and bully them into dropping DEI, notoriously succeeding with John Deere and Tractor Supply earlier this year, and recently with Jack Daniel's and Harley Davidson. Starbuck also believes, among other things, that chemicals turn children LGBTQ+ and that the COVID-19 vaccine caused beloved Friends actor Matthew Perry's death (neither are true).Orlando Gonzales, HRC’s Senior Vice President of Programs, Research, and Training, told The Advocate in a statement that that seeing as "nearly 30 percent of Gen Z identifies as LGBTQ+ and the community wields $1.4 trillion in spending power. Retreating from these principles undermines both consumer trust and employee success.” “Robby Starbuck is so radical the Tennessee Republican party kicked him off the ballot. Companies should not cower to a random guy with zero business experience, who is so extreme he has been abandoned by the Republican party," Gonzales said. "Hasty, shortsighted decisions contrary to safe and inclusive workplaces will create a snowball effect of negative long-term consequences for companies, cutting them off from top talent, turning off LGBTQ+ and other consumers, and impacting companies' bottom line."This story has been updated to include statement from the HRC.
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