Anti-DEI Provocateur Starbuck Gets Ford to Drop Equality Programs

• Right-wing activist Robby Starbuck threatened a Ford boycott by anti-DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) supporters, a tactic he has used successfully on John Deere, Harley-Davidson, Jack Daniel’s, Lowe’s, and Tractor Supply.

• Of 39 automotive companies scored, six earned the Human Rights Campaign’s Equality 100 Award status with perfect scores, for 2023-24. Besides Ford, they are General Motors, Johnson Controls, Oshkosh Corp., Rivian Automotive, and Toyota North America.

• Farley’s letter to employees notes that Ford “remains deeply committed to fostering a safe and inclusive workplace,” but adds that Ford “does not utilize hiring quotas or tie compensation to the achievement of specific diversity goals.”

Ford Motor Company will not “participate” in the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index “and various ‘best places to work’ lists” after a successful anti-“DEI” campaign against the automaker by right-wing provocateur Robby Starbuck.

Ford’s decision, “made earlier this year” but announced in a letter to employees (and posted on X by Starbuck), drew praise on the social media site by Starbuck’s followers and criticism by those opposed to his efforts, including several self-described longtime Ford customers who said they will not buy another truck or car from the company.

Starbuck had threatened a boycott by anti-DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) supporters, a tactic he has used successfully on John Deere, Harley-Davidson, Jack Daniel’s, Lowe’s, and Tractor Supply.

HRC became aware of Starbuck’s anti-DEI campaign this summer when he targeted Tractor Supply for its efforts in attaining a 100% score in the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a spokesperson for the organization told Autoweek via email.

The HRC published its first CEI in 2002. It rates Fortune 500 companies “regardless of participation” in its CEI program.

“Because Ford is a Fortune 500 company, it will continue to be listed in the Corporate Equality Index going forward,” said Marcos Garcia, deputy director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality program, by email via a spokesperson.

The HRC awards up to 100 points under four categories; workforce protections, inclusive benefits, support of an inclusive culture, and corporate social responsibility, and it subtracts 25 points for an official or public anti-LGBTQ+ “blemish” on its recent record.

Of 39 automotive companies scored, six earned the HRC’s Equality 100 Award status with perfect scores, for 2023-24. Besides Ford, they are General Motors, Johnson Controls, Oshkosh Corp., Rivian Automotive, and Toyota North America.

It’s likely Ford will automatically lose 25 points for its official anti-LGBTQ+ actions and fall off the Equality 100 list.

“Today, Ford ABANDONED its values and commitments to an inclusive workplace, cowering to MAGA weirdo Robby Starbuck,” the HRC posted on X-Twitter.

“With the LGBTQ+ community wielding $1.4 TRILLION in spending power and 30% of Gen Z identifying as LGBTQ+, we won’t forget this shortsighted decision and its impact.”

“Hilarious,” Starbuck responded on X. “Sorry @HRC but your spending power is nothing compared to conservatives who buy Ford trucks. Literally (sic) nothing. You have no sizable public support which is why your people won’t debate me. Your influence in corporate America was a house of cards and I pushed the first card to topple it. Your support comes from woke government, globalist elites, gender studies professors and college Marxists. My support comes from everyday working class people who make our country run everyday (sic).”

Farley’s letter to employees notes that Ford “remains deeply committed to fostering a safe and inclusive workplace” with a team “that leverages diverse perspectives, backgrounds and thinking styles,” but adds that Ford “does not utilize hiring quotas or tie compensation to the achievement of specific diversity goals. Likewise, while we continue to develop a dealer body that reflects the communities they serve, we will not use quotas for minority dealerships or supporters.”

Ford Philanthropy will continue to “support causes that help people move forward and upward,” Farley writes, and will redirect those efforts “to where we can make the biggest positive difference for the most people…”

Farley’s letter to employees raises the question about Ford’s diversity initiatives. Just last year, the automaker’s “Helping Build a Better World” Sustainability and Financial Report emphasized the need to “create a truly diverse culture where everyone feels like they belong.”

The report also said: “Ford has been a pioneer in providing opportunity to people regardless of race, gender, ability, sexual orientation and background. We view this less with pride than the sober realization that we must go further to create a company where our differences are truly valued and every team member can bring their whole selves to work.”

Will Ford’s latest actions on the diversity front affect your shopping or purchase decisions? Please comment below.