Carmaker Ford has become the latest firm to backtrack on its work with an LGBTQ group and other parts of its “inclusion” agenda, to the anger of conservative consumers.
Ford said Wednesday it will overhaul its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and end participation in a controversial rating system for LGBTQ-friendly companies.
In recent weeks, Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply, John Deere, Lowe’s and other companies have abandoned their DEI programs, which had come under fire from conservative activists.
DEI advocates say it allows more women and minorities to access the workplace, but critics say it is an exercise in compliance that ends up denying opportunities to straight white men.
In a note to employees, Ford CEO Jim Farley said attitudes toward DEI were changing rapidly.
Last year, Ford faced conservative headwinds over its “Very Gay Raptor,” a pickup truck decked out in rainbow colors.
Ford CEO Jim Farley said the company was cutting DEI because “our employees and customers have a wide range of beliefs.”
“We recognize that our employees and customers have a wide range of beliefs,” Farley said.
‘The external and legal environment related to political and social issues continues to evolve.’
The company would continue to take care of its employees and customers, but would avoid “making public comments on the polarizing issues of the day.”
The Dearborn, Michigan-based company’s employee resource groups, which divide staff along racial, ethnic and other identity lines, have changed in the past year, he said.
They now focus on networking, mentoring, professional development and community service, she added.
The $273 billion company will also drop some external culture surveys, including the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) LGBTQ scorecard and several “best places to work” lists, it said.
Last year, Ford faced headwinds from conservatives over its “Very Gay Raptor,” a rainbow-colored pickup truck that appeared at Pride events.
Robby Starbuck, an anti-DEI activist who has taken on companies over their employment policies, said Ford and others were caving to pressure from conservatives.
“This isn’t all we want, but it’s a great start,” the 35-year-old Cuban-American posted on X.
“We are now forcing multi-billion dollar organizations to change their policies.”
Will Hild, director of Consumers’ Research, a conservative campaign group, praised Ford for abandoning an “intolerant and divisive ideological fad.”
“Still, Ford should go further and end all DEI practices,” Hild told The Mail.
But HRC President Kelley Robinson said Ford was being “short-sighted” by failing to cater to America’s growing LGBTQ population.
“Ford Motor Company is abandoning its financial obligation to recruit and retain top talent from across the talent pool,” Robinson said.
A Ford manufacturing plant has joined a growing list of companies turning the page on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Ford has not yet removed the DEI page from its website, but it appears some sections have been removed.
Robby Starbuck, an anti-DEI activist, said Ford’s change of stance on DEI work was a “great start.”
Many companies that adopted DEI policies in the wake of the police killing of unarmed black man George Floyd in May 2020 have backed away from them for fear of angering conservative customers.
Some companies have received public letters from shareholders since 2021 indicating that their DEI plans constitute unlawful discrimination and violate directors’ duties to investors.
Anti-DEI groups were boosted by the June 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down affirmative action in college admissions, a ruling that does not directly affect employers.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president of the United States, has been highly critical of DEI initiatives.
Starbuck, a former music video producer and Republican candidate in Tennessee, takes credit for pushing several companies to change or eliminate their DEI programs.
Unlike legal activists Edward Blum and Stephen Miller’s America First Legal, who filed lawsuits and regulatory complaints alleging DEI programs are discriminatory, Starbuck is relying on X to generate popular outrage.
For some, DEI programs are important and necessary, as they can help overcome historical racism and sexism and make it easier for people of all backgrounds to advance in education and work.
Critics say it is a form of reverse discrimination that unfairly affects straight white men.
Others say that DEI plans may be well-intentioned, but they rarely achieve their desired goals and
that mandatory workshops on “microaggressions” and “white fragility” often make matters worse by fostering divisions in offices and classrooms.
An Ipsos poll conducted in April found that 61 percent of voters rated DEI as a “good thing.”
Still, a Gallup poll conducted around the same time found that only 38 percent of people wanted companies to take a stance on current events, a 10 percentage point drop from 2022.