Lowe's ditches DEI surveys, streamlines minority resources

Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Home improvement chain Lowe's is ending its participation in Human Rights Campaign surveys and is placing its diversity resource groups under one umbrella.

The retailer announced the changes to its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in an internal memo that was leaked to media.

The Human Rights Campaign is a pro-LGBTQ organization that surveys corporations as part of its Corporate Equality Index and rates individual corporations based on their policies regarding LGBTQ workers.

Lowe's recently earned a "perfect" rating by the HRC, and Lowe's chief executive officer Marvin Ellison in June was named the Ethical Leader of the Year by the Society for Human Resource Management.

Lowe's is the most recent retailer to pull back from its LGBTQ promotions, which included sponsoring and participating in LGBTQ parades, fairs and festivals, such as Pride parades.

Despite pulling back on its DEI initiatives, Lowe's has an active webpage detailing its efforts on behalf of diversity and respecting people with differing backgrounds and viewpoints.

Conservative activist Robby Starbuck allegedly was planning to target Lowe's with a boycott after undertaking similar anti-DEI campaigns against Harley-Davidson, John Deere and Tractor Supply.

Starbuck's boycott efforts led to those companies curtailing their DEI initiatives to avoid a public backlash similar to those experienced by Target stores and Bud Light brewer Anheuser-Busch.

Many organizations are curtailing their DEI initiatives amid cultural backlash, including colleges, universities and states.

Alabama in March enacted a law banning state and federal funding for DEI programs in the state's public schools and universities.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey called DEI a "liberal political movement counter to what the majority of Alabamians believe" when signing the legislation banning its funding.

Florida likewise banned the use of state and federal funds for DEI initiatives earlier this year.

The University of Florida on March 1 closed its office of the chief diversity officer, eliminated all its DEI staff and canceled DEI-related contracts with vendors to comply with the state law.