Toyota curbs DEI policy after activist attack over LGBTQ support

Toyota will refocus DEI programs and halt sponsorship of LGBTQ events, citing "a highly politicized discussion" around corporate commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Japanese carmaker told employees it will also end participation in notable rankings by LGBTQ advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign and other corporate culture surveys. The company will "narrow our community activities to align with STEM education and workforce readiness," it said in a memo Thursday to its 50,000 U.S. employees and 1,500 dealers.

The note comes a week after anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck started a social media campaign against the company, calling for customer boycotts because of its support for LGBTQ events and other initiatives. Toyota said at the time that the LGBTQ programs targeted were led by employee groups, not the company directly.

Read more:  SHRM dropped the 'E' from DEI. What will this mean for equity efforts?

A spokesman for the company on Thursday said Starbuck's public attack drew a few hundred queries from employees, questions from a "small population" of dealers and about 30 customer calls to its call center. He described the impact as "negligible."

Toyota is among a handful of companies Starbuck has targeted in recent months for their "woke" policies. Harley-Davidson, Lowe's and Ford said they would curb their DEI efforts, including scaling back programs directed at LGBTQ groups. Ford and farm goods retailer Tractor Supply are among companies that pulled out of the HRC rankings.

The HRC in recent weeks has cautioned companies against backtracking on LGBTQ efforts and urged supporters to boycott many of the companies that have ended participation in its Corporate Equality Index.

Read more: When employers back away from DEI, workplace mental health suffers

"Short-sighted decisions to abandon DEI initiatives will have a lasting, negative impact on business success in a future where more people than ever are identifying as LGBTQ+," Eric Bloem, a vice president at the organization, said in an email last week in response to Starbuck's attack on Toyota.

Starbuck's fight against corporate DEI programs is the latest in a conservative-led campaign that was emboldened by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to ban affirmative action in college admissions last year. That ruling sparked a series of lawsuits and complaints against companies for discriminating against white workers.