Brown-Forman, the spirits giant that makes Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, is the latest company to bow to right-wing influencers who support transformation, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and target companies that offer LGBTQ-inclusive workplace policies.
Other companies that have succumbed to right-wing online mobs in recent weeks include Tractor Supply Co., John Deere Co. and motorcycle giant Harley-Davidson.
Right-wing leader Robbie Starbuck, in a post on X, said Jack Daniel’s was next on the list of companies to target, despite having a customer base that is considered culturally conservative.
“Big news: The next company to be exposed is “@JackDaniels_US,” Starbucks wrote.We must have provided them with information by browsing the LinkedIn pages of our employees. … We Now we’re forcing multi-billion dollar organizations to change their policies without even posting because they fear we’ll be the next company to be caught. We’re winning, and one company at a time we’re restoring sanity to Corporate America.”
Big news: The next company to be exposed is Follow.
They must have been informed by us looking at employees’ LinkedIn pages.
They previously announced that they would be making the following changes:
• Termination of participation @HRCCorporate equality in… pic.twitter.com/0O1DkkIKrO
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) August 22, 2024
Among the reforms being introduced by Kentucky-based Brown-Forman, detailed in an internal memo posted by Starbucks, is the end of an initiative launched in 2019 to tie 10% of executives’ short-term compensation to progress on DEI goals.
Going forward, executive and employee bonuses will be tied solely to performance. The company will also discontinue all supplier diversity efforts and end all “conscious” cultural sensitivity and competency training.
The company is a member of the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality IndexIt measures a company’s commitment to non-discrimination in hiring and firing practices, as well as LGBTQ-inclusive workplace, medical and family leave policies.
Brown-Forman Corp. received a 100% rating on HRC’s most recent Corporate Equality Index.
“We are pleased to be working with Qualcomm to bring this investment to market,” said Ken Mahoney, CEO of Mahoney Asset Management. New York Post Companies including Tesla, Home Depot, Wayfair and Walmart have begun phasing out DEI leadership goals following threats of boycotts from conservative activists.
“[Having DEI policies] “It hurts the company’s image because consumers feel like the company is trying to score points instead of hiring the best talent,” Mahoney says, “and this is not how this consumer demographic was born and raised.”
a investigation A Gallup/Bentley University poll found that only 38% of Americans believe companies should take public positions on current affairs and public policy, down 10 percentage points from two years ago.
The only subgroups where slight majorities think companies should speak up about their political beliefs are LGBTQ adults, Black adults, and Democrats.
Given these findings, it seems likely that other companies will soon begin to avoid taking political stances, or even stances that may be perceived as political, such as not discriminating against LGBTQ employees.
Mere affiliation or close ties to the LGBTQ community have become enough for conservative activists to threaten mass boycotts of companies that do not actively discriminate against LGBTQ people in hiring or firing, or that offer LGBTQ-inclusive benefit packages.
Last year, Bud Light was the target of a boycott after partnering with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney in promotional ads, resulting in the company losing billions of dollars in sales.
Similarly, Target lost $10 billion in market capitalization after customers boycotted the company for selling Pride-themed merchandise, including children’s products.
In response, conservative legal groups filed a lawsuit against the company, arguing that the boycott is evidence that the company is alienating customers by supporting LGBTQ causes and not acting in the interests of its shareholders.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
