Lowe’s changes some DEI policies amid legal attacks on diversity programs and pressure from activists

NEW YORK (AP) — Home improvement chain Lowe’s is scaling back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, joining the ranks of several other corporations which have modified their programs for the reason that U.S. Supreme Court banned positive discrimination in college admissions or after facing conservative backlash online.

In an internal memo shared with Lowe’s The Associated Press, company executives said the retailer has begun a “review” of its programs following the July 2023 court ruling, and the corporate recently decided to mix its resource groups, which were intended for “individual groups representing different segments of our associate population,” into one umbrella organization.

The retailer will now not take part in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual survey, which measures the extent of inclusion of LGBTQ+ employees within the workplace, and can even stop sponsoring and participating in events akin to festivals and parades that happen outside of its area of ​​operations.

The changes were made to make sure Lowe’s policy was “legally compliant” and consistent with the corporate’s commitment to “inclusiveness,” the memo said.

“We may make additional changes over time,” the corporate’s leadership team said in a memo. “However, our commitment to our people will not change.”

Robby Starbuck, a conservative political commentator who has criticized corporations like Tractor Supply and John Deere, took responsibility for the changes in a post on X on Monday, saying he reached out to a Lowe’s executive online last week and detailed his plans to “expose” the corporate’s hiring policies and other topics, akin to support groups for LGBTQ+ employees and funding for Pride events.

However, Lowe’s spokesman Steve Salazar dismissed that claim in an email Tuesday, noting that Starbuck’s actions got here after the corporate had “already announced changes that have long been in the works” internally. The company’s memo didn’t specify when exactly those changes were made, but noted that they were discussed at an Aug. 21 meeting.

Last week, Lowe’s denied one other claim circulating on social media. A digitally altered image quoted Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison as saying that conservatives who do not like the corporate’s values ​​should shop at rival Home Depot.

“The CEO of Lowe’s has not commented on this,” the corporate wrote on X in response to several users who shared the photo. “Everyone is welcome at Lowe’s.”

Ellison, for his part, has diversified the corporate’s ranks by adding more women and ethnically diverse leaders since taking up in 2018. Ellison, who’s Black and grew up in a segregated, rural a part of Tennessee, has also been outspoken about racism for the reason that police killing of George Floyd, which sparked large protests for racial justice in 2020.

Criticism of such DEI policies has spread far beyond Lowe’s to corporations across all industries. They include calls for boycotts on social media, in addition to legal attacks within the wake of the Supreme Court’s affirmative motion ruling, which many anti-DEI activists wish to use to set an identical precedent on this planet of labor.

Starbucks, which has a big following on X, has used the platform as a megaphone to attack DEI policies at Tractor Supply, farm equipment maker John Deere, motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson and whiskey maker Jack Daniels. During an interview with The AP last month, Cuban, 35, said he has a listing of corporations he’s excited about featuring content from, but he’s starting with those with traditionally conservative customer bases.

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After a web-based pressure campaign earlier this summer, Tractor Supply and John Deere ended some diversity measures. Last week, Harley-Davidson withdrew its DEI policy, though the corporate noted in its announcement that it “has not had a DEI function since April 2024.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Brown-Forman, the parent company of Jack Daniels, said last week that it had “adjusted” its diversity and inclusion technique to “ensure it continues to drive our business results while appropriately recognizing the current environment we find ourselves in.” Starbuck suggested at X that the corporate acted preemptively after its team reviewed worker profiles on LinkedIn.

While conservative activists have welcomed the changes, DEI advocates say that by pandering to Starbucks and other right-wing figures, corporations are literally pandering to hate.

“Racial justice and LGBTQ inclusion are, for lack of a better term, kind of being scapegoated by a small, organized effort to dictate how companies do business,” said Jen Stark, co-director of the Center for Business and Social Justice at BSR, a consulting network of greater than 300 corporations.

Stark said it’s a tricky environment for corporations without delay, but she stressed that the majority are maintaining diversity and inclusion programs because they make business sense. But after last yr’s Supreme Court decision, she noted that corporations must be sure their DEI programs are “on solid ground” — and avoid overcorrecting when and if there may be a backlash, which she noted could cause more harm.

“This isn’t just a step backward for workplaces,” she said. “This is really a step backward for how we normalize practices that remove barriers and obstacles for everyone.”

On Tuesday, the Human Rights Campaign, which Lowe’s is not any longer doing business with under the brand new policy, condemned the DEI rollbacks and pointed to the potential impact on corporations’ bottom lines in the event that they turn off LGBTQ+ and other consumers.

Orlando Gonzales, HRC’s senior vice chairman for programs, research and training, called the changes “shortsighted decisions that are antithetical to safe and inclusive workplaces” that can create a “snowball effect of negative long-term consequences.” Gonzales specifically criticized Starbucks — arguing that corporations “shouldn’t be fawning over some random guy with no business experience” and that the activist was expelled from the Tennessee Republican Party because he’s “so extreme.”

Starbucks, which didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment Tuesday, said last month that its list included corporations seen as mainstream or middle of the road politically, including Microsoft. On the opposite hand, for an organization like coffee chain Starbucks, “it would be difficult to get pressure to boycott them,” he said.

Stark noted that the U.S. election result “will also turn up the thermostat, up or down” on the DEI conversation. A second term for former President Donald Trump would likely increase pressure for DEI policies — many Trump supporters are already signaling ways they would love to see such practices dismantled — while his rival Kamala Harris could have the alternative effect.

Some corporations are bracing for the prospect of potential changes to federal contracting, for instance, which has historically been an efficient approach to promote equality within the workplace. Others will probably want to change the language or find latest workarounds to existing programs.

“We could potentially see a resurgence of DEI efforts or a reduction,” she said. “I think the bottom line is that companies will continue to do that work in practice or in name — (but) the degree to which they publicly show up will depend on the situation.”