Lowe’s, a home goods giant, is the latest big business to react to a rising reaction in culture spearheaded by conservatives against queer presence in public life by scaling down its attempts to promote LGBTQ inclusiveness.
Lowe’s informed staff members in an internal company memo that was widely circulated among media outlets that it would stop taking part in surveys for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest LGBTQ advocacy group in the nation, and would also combine company resource groups intended to support minority employees into a single umbrella organization.
The business said that it will no longer support or participate in neighborhood gatherings like fairs, festivals, or parades—a clear allusion to Pride parades. Lowe’s was a sponsor of Charlotte, North Carolina’s Pride march as late as 2019.
An inquiry for comments was not answered by a corporate representative.
Although there have been rumors in the media that Lowe’s was abandoning its broad diversity initiatives, the adjustments seem to be directed primarily at LGBTQ representation. As a diversity advocate, Lowe’s has already received recognition; in HRC’s most recent corporate equity index, which looks at its LGBTQ worker protection measures, the company received a flawless score.
Marvin Ellison, an African American, has been the CEO of Lowe’s since 2018. The biggest HR association in the US, the Society for Human Resource Management, recognized Ellison as the Ethical Leader of the Year in June.
Lowe’s kept up a homepage devoted to its diversity initiatives as of Tuesday morning.
It states, “We’re dedicated to creating an environment where each member of the Lowe’s team genuinely feels like they belong.” “We all win when associates are able to be who they truly are at work and perform at their highest level.”
The director of human resources is quoted on the page as saying, “We value the full person on our team. We’ve created a space where people of all backgrounds and perspectives are recognized and cherished.”
Lowe’s announcements come soon after those made this year by Tractor Supply, John Deere, and Best Buy, as well as by Harley Davidson and Jack Daniel’s parent company, Brown-Forman. Then, the New York state comptroller, who oversees the $207 billion public pension system of the state and holds assets in Best Buy, questioned the business’s dedication to LGBTQ community support and inclusiveness.
The unofficial head of the business pressure campaign is right-wing internet activist and video broadcaster Robby Starbucks. In a post on X on Monday, Starbucks asserted that he was a contributing factor to the changes at Lowe’s. He claimed to have gotten an email from an official at Lowe’s in response to a warning he had written the firm, threatening to “expose” its “woke” practices.
“We’re now forcing multi-billion dollar organizations to change their policies without even posting just from fear they have of being the next company that we expose,” he stated. “We are winning and one by one we WILL bring sanity back to corporate America.”
An email request for comment from Starbucks was not immediately answered.
Lowe’s reversal demonstrates the rapid pace at which conservatives are pushing back against gay rights, a movement that started with Target and Bud Light in earlier years. It has also helped to make clear that the battle against “woke” is often an attempt to stifle LGBTQ views.
“Hasty, shortsighted decisions contrary to safe and inclusive workplaces will create a snowball effect of negative long-term consequences for companies, cutting them off from top talent, turning off LGBTQ+ and other consumers, and impacting companies’ bottom line,” said Orlando Gonzales, senior vice president of programs, research, and training at HRC, in an email statement.
