John Deere Announces They’ll No Longer Fund “Cultural Awareness Parades” After Backlash Over Pride Event Sponsorship & Gender Identity Training

Another company backing down. A few weeks ago, Tractor Supply faced public pressure and threats of boycotts after coming under fire over their implementation of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies, releasing videos about things like the importance of women voting (which seems pretty unrelated to selling farm supplies), and their funding for pride events and climate change initiatives. The company eventually released a statement announcing that they were ending several of the controversial initiatives and refocusing on their customers and mission, including redirecting funds from “nonbusiness activities” like pride parades and voting campaigns to instead focus on “rural America priorities including ag education, animal welfare and veterans causes.” The chain also announced that they will be ending all DEI initiatives “while still ensuring a respectful environment” and withdrawing carbon emissions goals to instead “focus on our land and water conservation efforts.” https://twitter.com/TractorSupply/status/1806417863885902217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1806417863885902217%7Ctwgr%5E5e315479a2a81162848ac299370a6abb55143f76%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whiskeyriff.com%2F2024%2F06%2F27%2Ftractor-supply-to-stop-sponsoring-pride-parades-eliminate-dei-goals-after-criticism-threats-of-boycotts%2F And now, John Deere is (at least partially) following suit. In recent weeks, conservative influencer Robby Starbuck has been calling out the farm equipment company for what he sees as dangerous policies that are out of line with their customer base, like their training on gender ideology and funding for LGBT pride events. https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1810675517248483344 Well it seems that the campaign got John Deere's attention, as the company released a statement today announcing that they would be rolling back these initiatives to focus on values that better align with their mission and customer base. (A novel concept these days, right?) In the memo, the company says that they are "always listening to feedback and looking for opportunities to improve," and that "based on ongoing conversations," they will no longer be participating in or supporting any "external social or cultural awareness parades, festivals, or events." John Deere also says that their Business Resource Groups will no longer focus on diversity initiatives, and will instead focus on things like professional development and recruitment - so stuff that actually helps the business. And they will also be reaffirming that diversity quotas and pronoun identification are not company policy. https://twitter.com/JohnDeere/status/1813318977650847944 It's clear why these companies are trying to respond quickly, after they saw what happened to Bud Light last year in the wake of the PR nightmare from their partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. And many online were quick to praise John Deere for being responsive to customers and working to address their concerns with the company's policies. Although let's be honest, it was all because they didn't want to take the same hit that Bud Light took last year.