Toyota rebuffs attack as it follows Ford as new anti-DEI target

In a video posted to the social media platform X (formerly called Twitter) on August 28, notorious conservative influencer and anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck — the architect behind the latest wave of anti-DEI — backlash took credit for and celebrated Ford's (F) scaling back of DEI initiatives implemented presently after the death of George Floyd on the hands of a Minneapolis Police officer in 2020.

The Dearborn-based automaker followed an extended line of companies, including Tractor Supply Co. (TSCO) , Microsoft (MSFT) , Lowe's (LOW) , John Deere (DE) , and Harley Davidson (HOG) , in rolling back its DEI initiatives in fear of an even bigger boycott of their respective companies products and services and products.

Related: Ford execs make DEI U-turn, detour from 'woke' past

Seeing Ford and other companies' announcements as trophies of his corporate victories, Starbuck used the head of the video to threaten the C-suite executives of companies with DEI policies with the identical fervor of against the law boss in a Scorcese movie.

"Do not anticipate me to come again for you. I needn't come and expose every company, but if I should, I may," Starbuck warned. "It is within your keep watch over. Do the best thing in your organization, and cut out the wokeness."

"Our movement is growing into a behemoth; you probably cannot stop us. We are going to inject sanity back into corporate The the u.s.. The question for you as an executive is whether the necessity arises do it the easy way or the tough way."

It’s time to expose Toyota.@Toyota has been no doubt among the vitally important foremost trusted brands in The the u.s. but they’ve long gone totally woke.

Here’s some of what we found:

• Toyota sponsored a drag queen program at a summer camp for kids identifying as LGBTQ+.

• Toyota opposes laws that ban sex… p.c.twitter.com/bmcWPftjT4— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) September 26, 2024

Starbuck's latest target

In a post on X on the morning of Sept. 26, Starbuck launched a new anti-DEI campaign against Japanese automaker Toyota (TM) , in an are attempting and expose what he sees as an organization "long gone totally woke," pointing to the automaker's sponsorship of LGBTQIA+ events and initiatives, vocal action against anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation and "preferential treatment for "diverse" suppliers."

In a 13-minute and 40-2nd video attached to the post, Starbuck outlined his attack against Toyota, which was mainly motivated by their improve of LGBTQIA+ initiatives. He pointed to Toyota's improve of Camp Brave Trails, a summer camp for LGBTQIA+ childhood, its participation in Dallas Pride, and the automaker's perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) Corporate Equality Index for 15 consecutive years.

"The Corporate Equality Index is one which scores corporations, in your entire on how woke they are," Starbuck said within the video. "So the a hundred score that Toyota has for 15 consecutive years implies that Toyota is essentially funding transitions for not just their employees, but additionally for the childhood of employees in states where it truly is an extended way legal."

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Additionally, he blasted the automaker for joining the HRC in opposing legislation it truly is oppressive to transgender childhood, specifically those referring to gender-affirming care.

"So the bills they are opposing are those like the one we got passed here in Tennessee that bans sex change surgeries, hormones and puberty blockers for childhood," Starbuck emotionally reiterated. "So in the event you are a Toyota driver or customer, it be critical ask yourself, 'Why is Toyota so serious about ensuring that it truly is an extended way legal for childhood to get sex changes?'"

"I suspect it be weird. I in my opinion don't feel at ease giving my money to an organization it truly is supporting and pushing for childhood a great way to get sex changes."

Later within the video, he blasted the corporate for supporting the Trevor Project, a nonprofit occupied with suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQIA+ childhood, Toyota employee ESG groups, which have made Toyota recognized as a top company for LGBTQIA+ employees, and having a supplier program that he bills as "discrimination."

Toyota responds

In an announcement to Bloomberg, Toyota said the LGBTQIA+ programs highlighted by Starbuck in his post and video were led by employee groups and not the automaker.

“Now not every activity is sanctioned by the corporate, and now we have got over 14 affiliates and 116 chapters and over eight,000 members in our ERGs,” a Toyota spokesman told Bloomberg in an announcement.

The spokesperson also told Bloomberg that Starbuck's post hasn’t prompted a review of policies for these employee groups, but the corporate periodically evaluates its strategic investments.

Related: Ford execs make DEI U-turn, detour from 'woke' past

Starbuck's Toyota campaign follows his a hit campaign against Ford. The Blue Oval's DEI walk-back was a detour from its prior commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community, which ended in an actual boycott nearly two decades ago.

In March 2006, a full-scale boycott was launched against Ford and its subsidiaries by the American Family Association (AFA) and more than 30 other conservative, Christian and "family values" advocacy groups over similar efforts Toyota is currently being blasted by Starbuck for; efforts that an AFA director described as "promotion of the homosexual agenda."

The boycott essentially affected the corporate a lot that seventy 5 Ford dealers in Texas collectively penned a letter begging then-Ford CEO Bill Ford to supply in to the group's demands, pleading that the boycott was hurting their businesses. By year's end, Ford would lose $12.7 billion, and its stock price dropped more than 14%, the lowest in two decades at that point, due, partly, to the boycott.

TheStreet has reached out to Toyota USA for added comment and clarification.

Toyota Motor Corporation trades lower than the emblem TM on the New York Stock Exchange. Toyota Stock is down 3.forty seven% it is able to well be because outlet bell, trading at $182.Seventy nine per share on the time of writing.

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