Jean J. Puskar/AP
A sign for Tractor Supply Company is seen on Feb. 2, 2023, in Pittsburgh.
new york
CNN
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Tractor Supply Co. has scrapped its diversity, equity and inclusion initiative as part of the retail chain's efforts to distance itself from its “non-profit work” after facing conservative backlash from some in its customer base.
Tractor Supply, which describes itself as the nation's largest “country lifestyle retailer,” announced in a news release Thursday that it would end its sponsorship of activities such as “Pride Festival and Vote Campaigns,” reduce its DEI role and “remove current DEI goals while ensuring a respectful environment.”
“We have heard from our customers that we have let them down,” the company said. “We take this feedback seriously.”
The policy shift comes less than a month after right-wing commentator Robbie Starbuck attacked the company's LGBTQ inclusive stance and DEI hiring initiatives in a series of posts on X. Starbuck, who ran unsuccessfully for Tennessee's 5th Congressional District in 2022, called on customers to boycott Tractor Supply and contact the company. the Corporate leadership.
After the policy change was announced, Starbucks again criticized X, calling the move a “huge victory” and “the biggest boycott victory of our lifetimes.”
Sean Harper, a professor of business, public policy and education at the University of Southern California, told CNN that one of the reasons for the conservative backlash is that Tractor Supply has not adapted its DEI policy to fit its business culture.
Brentwood, The Tennessee-based company calls itself the largest supporter of the National FFA Organization, a nonprofit that supports agricultural education, and has deep ties to rural communities in 49 states. Harper said Tractor Supply's inclusion policy should have been tailored to its specific cultural context.
“You can't say, 'We're going to do what Apple does in Cupertino, California, at Tractor Supply. It's just not going to work,” he says. “This is what I call 'contextual DEI.' I want to start by focusing on expanding opportunities for low-income people, expanding opportunities for women in rural areas to get into agriculture, helping people understand that having more women and people of color in agriculture benefits everyone. And helping people understand that diversifying agriculture with more women and people of color doesn't necessarily mean fewer white male farmers or fewer opportunities.”
Still, activists and experts say Tractor Supply's policy shift is a blow to civil rights and LGBTQ+ protections for employees and customers.
“Homophobia, transphobia, sexism, gender discrimination, sexual harassment in the workplace, ableism, sizeism and racism are not going to go away on their own,” Harper said. “Without the right policies and programs in place within businesses, there is a risk that these long-standing issues will worsen and we will see more conflict between employees and customers who represent different and diverse groups.”
Tractor Supply also said it would “no longer submit data” to the Human Rights Campaign, one of the largest LGBTQ+ nonprofit advocacy groups in the United States.
The company is one of more than 1,300 companies that participated in HRC's Corporate Equality Index, a benchmark survey and report that measures LGBTQ+ workplace equality policies and practices. In 2023, the company received a near-perfect score of 95/100 for implementing workplace protections and benefits that are considerate of LGBTQ+ employees, providing inclusion training to employees, and conducting outreach to the LGBTQ+ community.
“Tractor Supply is turning its back on its neighbors with this shortsighted decision,” Eric Bloom, vice president of programs and corporate advocacy at the Human Rights Campaign, told CNN in a statement 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 feel respected and valued, and that they can get the job done for their employees 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. Giving in to far-right extremism will only hurt the same people these companies rely on.”
The policy shift is part of a trend of corporate indecision around LGBTQ+ inclusion, with several big-name brands backing away from support for inclusivity in the face of anti-LGBTQ backlash that threatens their bottom lines.
Last year, Bud Light's partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney sparked anti-transgender backlash and a months-long boycott of the beer brand during which the company failed to take a firm stance in support of Mulvaney and the transgender community. The boycott and its subsequent cold response cost parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev $1.4 billion in lost revenue and the credibility of major LGBTQ+ nonprofits.
Retailer Target said last month it would limit the number of stores that carried its Pride-themed collection for adults after sales plummeted during a boycott by right-wing activists last summer.
While giving in to consumer backlash may seem like the safest strategy to recoup revenue lost to boycotts, it's also shortsighted. Litigation costs From customers and employees.
“Too much money is wasted on settlements and damages for discrimination and harassment claims,” he said. “Companies should think not just about revenue, but also about legal costs and reputational damage. Business leaders aren't thinking about these things when they abandon DEI.”
