Walmart to Scale Back DEI Policies Following Anti-Woke Online Campaign
Walmart has become the latest company to announce it is pulling back on some of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies following criticism from a conservative activist who has targeted DEI initiatives at major corporations.
Anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck, known for highlighting corporate policies he deems “woke,” took to X on Monday to claim a role in these changes.
“Last week I told execs at Walmart that I was doing a story on wokeness there,” Starbuck explained. “Instead we had productive conversations to find solutions.”
Starbuck outlined several changes Walmart agreed to, including removing sexual and transgender-themed products marketed toward children and reviewing pride events to avoid funding “inappropriate sexualized content targeting children.”
Walmart also confirmed it will no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index and will not extend its Racial Equity Center, a five-year initiative established in 2020. Additionally, the company will evaluate supplier diversity programs to “ensure they do not provide preferential treatment and benefits to suppliers based on diversity.”
Starbuck also stated that Walmart would cease using the term “LatinX” and discontinue the term DEI altogether while maintaining a focus on fostering a “respectful and supportive environment.”
In light of these changes, Walmart noted that some of these policy shifts have been implemented for years and were not directly due to Starbuck’s activism. According to Fox News, the company did confirm that it will now change how it monitors products and review its grant funding.
Walmart’s decision follows similar moves by companies like Ford and John Deere, which have also withdrawn participation from HRC’s Corporate Equality Index, an annual survey that gauges “policies, practices and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) employees.”
In a statement to Fox News, Walmart said it is “willing to change alongside our associates and customers who represent all of America.”
“We’ve been on a journey and know we aren’t perfect, but every decision comes from a place of wanting to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to opportunities for all our associates, customers and suppliers and to be a Walmart for everyone,” the company added.
