CNBC anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin brought on the president of a major leftist pressure group to explain the rapid collapse of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at major companies.
Sorkin spoke to Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Kelley Robinson on the Sept. 12 edition of Squawk Box and asked her to explain why businesses were abandoning DEI and severing ties with her once-dominant organization. “Major U.S. companies have been walking back their internal diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, Ford, Lowe’s, Tractor Supply and others will stop submitting data to LBLGBTQ+ advocacy group, the Human Rights Campaign,” Sorkin said.
Sorkin specifically asked Robinson if companies were seeking to avoid boycotts by rebuking DEI—and pressed for information on whether the Supreme Court’s decision against racial discrimination in college admissions drove companies away from the leftist ideology.
Robinson ignored the hypothetical question and lashed out at her enemies in a response that showed no sign of any understanding of the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision.
“There's no denying that there is tension in the business community right now related to the political nature of some of these issues that are popping up, and unfortunately, it's nothing new. The same sort of narratives that we saw coming out of the Supreme Court are mirroring the horrific, anti-LGBTQ+ policies that we've seen in hundreds of bills in states across this country,” Robinson said.
Robinson’s remarks followed an exodus of companies from the HRC’s grip. Since June 27, Ford, Molson-Coors, Tractor Supply, Harley-Davidson, Jack Daniel’s parent company Brown-Furman and Lowe’s have abandoned DEI initiatives and cut ties with the HRC after campaigns by political commentator and podcast host Robby Starbuck.
Companies such as Lowe’s and Tractor Supply have made commitments to cease funding pride festivals, while the latter also promised to “eliminate DEI roles” and “retire our current DEI goals.” Many of the companies have ceased separating employee groups by race or sexual orientation and removed leftist training materials. According to USA Today, Stanley Black & Decker has also abandoned Robinson’s group.
Robinson impotently told Sorkin that the HRC will punish the companies for rolling back DEI and ending their relationships and data sharing with her organization. She promised that these companies faced a “25-point deduction” to their Corporate Equality Index (CEI) scores. The CEI tracks to what extent companies embrace radical policies such as allowing men in women’s restrooms and “healthcare coverage for medically necessary transition-related care.”
Robinson followed this announcement with an apparent threat, warning, “It's important that we have accountability here and that employees and consumers alike and shareholders too get to see the impact of these decisions on these companies.”.
While the HRC president bragged that “over 1400 companies” still work with her radical organization, Starbuck announced that he is coming after these companies as well. Moreover, Starbuck promised to expose the HRC for pushing companies to “cover transition care, not just for the adults who work for you, but also for children in the states where it is legal.”
It’s time to expose the @HRC. This is a must see video. Did you know that most major companies work with a group that calls Trump a "White nationalist" who "hates America" and many give this group MILLIONS as they work to legalize child sex changes and men in girls locker rooms?… pic.twitter.com/2kz4fj9foM
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) September 12, 2024
Conservatives are under attack! Contact ABC News (818) 460-7477, CBS News (212) 975-3247 and NBC News (212) 664-6192 and demand they report on the dangers of leftist DEI ideology infecting corporate America.
