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The Tractor Supply Company has said it will axe its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program after criticism from its customers.
In a statement shared on Thursday, the company said it will instead divert attention away from “nonbusiness activities,” which it says includes sponsoring Pride festivals, toward investing in “rural America priorities.”
Tractor Supply states it will “eliminate” all DEI roles and “retire our current DEI goals while still ensuring a respectful environment.”
According to the post, released on Tractor Supply’s website, the company has received negative complaints from customers about its DEI activity.
“We have heard from customers that we have disappointed them,” the statement explains. “We have taken this feedback to heart.”
The agricultural retail company employs 50,000 workers who it says “take care of our customers like family.”
Tractor Supply says it will also no longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign and refocus employee engagement groups on supporting the business.
Components of the retailer’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals are also set to be cut, including its carbon emission goals. It will instead focus on “land and water conservation efforts.”
Anti-DEI criticism mounted pressure on Tractor Supply CEO
Tractor Supply had been hit in recent weeks with a wave of criticism from right-wing activists, led by Robby Starbuck, who posted a list of grievances about the company’s “woke priorities” on X.
On June 6, Starbuck listed examples of Tractor Supply’s policies that he claimed did not align with the values of its customer base, including LGBTQIA+ training; funding Pride events and sex changes; climate change activism; Pride month decorations in the office; DEI hiring practices; and LGBTQIA+ events at work.
The post, re-shared by influential right-wing pages such as ‘Libs of TikTok,’ spiraled into calls for a boycott. Hal Lawton, CEO of Tractor Supply, was critiqued by Starbuck, eventually prompting him to make the U-turn.
“It has become clear to me over the last few weeks that some of the actions we have taken as a company have veered us off course, losing our balance as we work to serve and reflect the values and perspectives of all our customers and Team Members—those we care about so much,” Lawton wrote in an email to employees, informing them of the changes.
All pages referencing its earlier DEI initiatives have been cut from the Tractor Supply website.
Starbuck described Tractor Supply’s change in stance as a “massive victory.”
Human Rights Campaign: Tractor Supply’s decision is “shortsighted”
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), to whom Tractor Supply will no longer submit data on their workforce, has criticized the move.
“Tractor Supply Co is turning its back on their own neighbors with this shortsighted decision. LGBTQ+ people live in every zip code in this country, including rural communities,” said Eric Bloem, VP of Programs and Corporate Advocacy at HRC, speaking to The Advocate.
“Caving to far-right extremists is only going to hurt the same folks that these businesses rely on,” he added.
Tractor Supply had previously been recognized by the HRC for its work, receiving a score of 95 out of 100 in its 2023 Corporate Equality Index. It scored full points for its workforce protections for sexual orientation and gender identity; its inclusive benefits; and its LGBTQ+ training, data collection efforts, gender transition guidelines, and LGBTQ+ employee resource group.
Right-wing attacks prompting DEI U-turns
The company is the latest high-profile case of an employer turning back on its DEI and LGBTQ+ policies after pressure from right-wing activists.
Last year, for example, Bud Light's infamous campaign featuring trans celebrity Dylan Mulvaney prompted a barrage of backlash, including boycotts. Rather than speaking out in support of Mulvaney, Bud Light remained silent, and the boss of parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev has said the company will “stay in our lane,” avoiding political and social issues following “a very difficult moment.”
Similarly, Target has elected to only stock Pride and LGBTQ+-related products in certain stores after boycotts following Pride Month 2023.
For businesses such as Tractor Supply, Bud Light, and Target, the pressure to retain their focus on DEI and LGBTQ+ inclusion amid social media attacks and boycotts is too great.
However, some argue that such moves separate employers who are merely performative, from those who are truly invested in inclusion.
“For organizations who remain committed to DEI values are doubling down on their efforts, while those who were merely performative have pulled the plug,” said Veronica Calderon, Chief Inclusion, Belonging, and Equity Officer at DeVry University, in a recent article for HR Grapevine.
“The divide has never been clearer, however, the proven business case for DEI calls for sustained commitment.”
