John Deere announced Wednesday that it's ending its involvement in events such as LGBTQ pride parades, while cutting back its own diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The farm equipment manufacturer has been under pressure by an online right-wing campaign started by filmmaker Robby Starbuck, who similarly led an effort against Tractor Supply. That company announced this month it's dropping all of its DEI efforts. "We will no longer participate in or support external social or cultural awareness parades, festivals, or events," John Deere said in a statement, USA Today reports.
"The existence of diversity quotas and pronoun identification have never been and are not company policy," the company added in its post on X. At the same time, Deere said it will continue to track and work toward internal diversity, per NBC News, because a diverse workforce helps the company "best meet our customers' needs." Starbuck celebrated the announcement Wednesday in a post on X, saying, "Every woke company is wondering if they're next."
Deere made no reference to the pressure campaign but said it's "always listening to feedback and looking for opportunities to improve." Despite such opposition, a new survey shows that corporate DEI efforts are not being weakened, per USA Today. The Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals and YourCause from Blackbaud found that nearly all of the 125 major companies surveyed reported that their DEI commitments have either increased or stayed the same. But 17% of respondents said they talk less about the initiatives than they used to with people outside their organization, and almost one-third of the executives said they describe their efforts differently now. (More John Deere stories.)
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