Harley-Davidson drops diversity efforts after attacks by anti-DEI activist

Harley-Davidson dropped several diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives after weeks of sustained pressure from an anti-DEI crusader.

The Milwaukee company said this week that it no longer has minority-owned supplier spending goals, would drop socially-motivated training for employees and make other changes to back away from diversity programmes.

The motorcycle maker also hadn’t operated a corporate DEI function since April, it said in a statement posted to social media platform X.

Harley joins Tractor Supply Co, Deere & Co, and competitor Polaris in scaling back or changing DEI policies following a campaign by activist Robby Starbuck on social media against what he calls woke corporations. The retreats are part of a broader backlash against corporate DEI that has companies re-examining programmes added over the past several years.

“We are saddened by the negativity on social media over the last few weeks, designed to divide the Harley-Davidson community,” Harley said in its statement. “As a company, we take this issue very seriously, and it is our responsibility to respond with clarity, action and facts.”

Harley declined to comment beyond its written statement.

The motorcycle maker said in an email to staff on July 26 that had begun a review of its “stakeholder and outreach activities” earlier this year, before Starbuck began targeting the manufacturer. The company on Monday said the changes that it made were the result of the review.

The company said it would no longer participate in an annual rating of LGBTQ acceptance conducted by the Human Rights Campaign. It would also reorganise employee resource groups to focus solely on business development, mentoring and training.

“It’s time to get rid of these policies and bring back a sense of neutrality and sanity in corporate America,” Starbuck said in an interview.

He credited the spread of posts on social media, particularly from Harley influencers, for the company’’s move. “We kind of reached critical mass,” he said.

The HRC criticised Harley’s decision as “impulsive”. “With nearly 30% of Gen Z identifying as LGBTQ+ and the community wielding $1.4 trillion (R25 trillion) in spending power, retreating from these principles undermines both consumer trust and employee success,” vice president Eric Bloem said in a statement on Tuesday.

Companies are caught in a cross-current of competing ideals on corporate diversity initiatives. A Washington Post-Ipsos poll in April found 61% of adults think DEI programmes in the workplace are “a good thing”. At the same time, most respondents said companies shouldn’t take a stance on current events in a survey from Bentley University and Gallop.

Tractor maker Deere and farming equipment retailer Tractor Supply pulled back on its DEI programmes after being criticised by Starbuck earlier this year. Last month, Deere said it would no longer participate in “cultural awareness parades” and its business resource groups would focus “exclusively” on professional development, networking, mentoring and supporting talent recruitment.

Polaris, which produces the Harley competitor Indian motorcycle, removed references to DEI from its web pages this month as “the phrase DE&I has evolved from a general term into something increasingly politicized with varying interpretations,” the company said in a statement.

“We are in the process of revising some of our webpages so that the core values of what we stand for – respect and helping people discover the outdoors through powersports – doesn’t get lost in these current politicized conversations,” Polaris said. The company had no comment on Starbuck’s campaign.

Starbuck said he had picked his next social media target and might launch a campaign as soon as this week. He declined to name the company, only saying that it had a “very conservative” customer base.

Harley’s shares are up about 5% since Starbuck started his campaign almost four weeks ago.

BLOOMBERG