The hardware giant Tractor Supply Company has promised to stop its LGBT pride and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs massive attention on social media to how the company pushes an extremely “woke” agenda on its employees.
The boycott began when conservative activist Robby Starbuck revealed that the company funded drag events, had LGBT training programs for employees, and funded sex-change procedures.
While those kinds of corporate activities may be normal these days for large corporations, Tractor Supplies’ customers tend to be conservative and predominantly from rural areas.
“This monumental change is thanks to all of you who supported my work exposing this, to the whistleblowers in Tractor Supply and my fellow farm owners who respectfully spoke up. I’m working to get more information about these changes but this is a fantastic moment for the fight to banish wokeness, DEI and ESG from the workplace,” said Starbuck on X, celebrating his victory.
In addition to providing basic hardware store goods, Tractor Supply also sells numerous outdoor products, including farming supplies.
The primary customer base is composed of rural American homeowners, not typically a demographic that supports radical left-wing DEI policies and gender ideology.
In response to the boycott, Tractor Supply completely reversed course in a statement posted to social media Thursday.
“We work hard to live up to our mission and values every day and represent the values of the communities and customers we serve. We have heard from customers that we have disappointed them. We have taken this feedback to heart,” said Tractor Supply.
In the memo, the company promised to “eliminate DEI roles” and abolish their pro-DEI goals, along with abolishing their carbon emissions standards.
They also promised to stop funding any LGBT events.
“Further focus on rural America priorities including ag education, animal welfare, veteran causes and being a good neighbor and stop sponsoring non-business activities like pride festivals and voting campaigns,” said the company.
Following the announcement, the company removed the “Pride month” imagery from its website and employee portal.
The decision led the company’s stock to go up in value.
The decision may have been influenced by the decline of the Bud Light beer brand after it partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney — a move that cost the beer giant billions of dollars.
The brand has still failed to recover in the eyes of much of the beer-drinking public.
