Tractor Supply Co. Reflects on Its DEI Roles and Goals

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CNN
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Tractor Supply Company has eliminated its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as part of what the retail chain describes as a move to distance itself from “non-retail activities” after conservative backlash from some of its customers.

In a press release Thursday, Tractor Supply, which bills itself as the nation’s “largest retailer of rural lifestyle products,” said it would stop sponsoring activities such as “pride festivals and election campaigns,” that he would eliminate DEI roles and “remove (his) current DEI. objectives while ensuring a respectful environment.

“Customers told us we disappointed them,” the company said. “We took this return to heart. »

This turnaround comes less than a month after right-wing commentator Robby Starbuck attacked the company’s LGBTQ-inclusive stance and its DEI hiring initiatives in a series of posts about X. Starbuck, which in 2022 launched a candidacy unsuccessful for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, called on customers to boycott Tractor Supply and contact It is business leadership.

After the policy change was announced, Starbuck turned to X again, calling the decision a “massive victory” and “the biggest boycott victory of our lifetimes.”

Shaun Harper, a professor of business, public policy and education at the University of Southern California, told CNN that one reason for the conservative backlash was Tractor Supply’s failure to adapt its DEI policy to the culture in which it operates.

The Brentwood, The Tennessee-based company, which bills itself as the largest supporter of the National FFA Organization, a nonprofit that supports agricultural education, has strong ties to rural communities in 49 states. Harper says Tractor Supply’s inclusion policies should have been tailored to this specific cultural context.

“You can’t say you’re going to try to do at Tractor Supply what they’re doing at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California — it’s definitely not going to work,” he said. “That’s what I call ‘situated DEI.’ I would say start by focusing on expanding opportunities for low-income people, expanding access to agriculture for women in rural contexts, and helping people understand how more women and more people of color in agriculture benefits everyone. And helping them understand that diversifying the agriculture industry, with women and people of color, doesn’t have to mean fewer opportunities for white male farmers.”

Still, activists and experts say Tractor Supply’s rollback is a blow to civil rights and LGBTQ+ protections for employees and customers.

“Homophobia, transphobia, sexism, gender discrimination, workplace sexual harassment, ableism, sizeism and racism will not go away on their own,” Harper said. “Without effective policies and programs within companies, the danger is that these long-standing problems will get worse. There will be more conflict between employees and customers who represent diverse groups.”

Tractor Supply also said it would “no longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign,” one of the largest nonprofit LGBTQ+ advocacy groups in the United States.

The company is one of 1,300 companies that participated in HRC’s Corporate Equality Index, a benchmark survey and report measuring policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ equality in the workplace. In 2023, the company scored a near perfect 95/100 for implementing workplace protections and benefits that consider LGBTQ+ employees, providing inclusion training to workers and raising awareness of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Tractor Supply Co is turning its back on its own neighbors with this short-sighted decision,” Eric Bloem, vice president of corporate programs and advocacy at the Human Rights Campaign, told CNN on Saturday. “LGBTQ+ people live in every zip code in this country, including rural communities. We are shoppers, farmers, veterans and agricultural students. Companies across all industries work closely with us to ensure their employees and customers are respected, valued and able to do the work for their workforce and shareholders. That’s why Tractor Supply — and most of the nation’s largest employers — have worked with us for years to create inclusive policies and practices. Caving to far-right extremists will only hurt the very people these companies rely on.”

This policy shift is part of a broader trend of corporate hesitancy on LGBTQ+ inclusion. Faced with anti-LGBTQ backlash that threatens companies’ bottom lines, several consumer brands have backed away from their support for inclusivity.

Last year, Bud Light’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney sparked an anti-trans backlash and a months-long boycott of the beer brand, during which the company failed to take a strong stand in support of Mulvaney and the transgender community. The boycott and subsequent lukewarm response cost parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev up to $1.4 billion in revenue, as well as credibility with a major LGBTQ+ nonprofit.

Last month, retailer Target announced it would limit the number of stores that carry its Pride-themed adult collection after a boycott by right-wing activists last summer led to a sharp drop in sales.

While giving in to consumer backlash may seem like the surest strategy for recouping revenue lost during a boycott, it can also be short-sighted. Harper says few companies consider the potential cost of litigation customers and employees.

“So much money is wasted on settlements or damages for discrimination and harassment,” he said. “I want businesses to think not just about sales, but also about the cost of litigation, as well as reputational costs. These are the things business leaders don’t think about when looking at DEI.