Jack Daniel’s scraps diversity initiatives in face of anti-LGBTQ+ pressure
A Jack Daniel’s bottle. (Getty)
Whiskey-maker Jack Daniel’s has announced that it is dropping its diversity goals, amid complaints from anti-LGBTQ+ right-wingers.
The US beverage brand is the latest business to be targeted by political pundit Robby Starbuck, who has launched social media campaigns voicing opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes by companies including Harley-Davidson and John Deere.
In a social media post last week, Starbuck rejoiced at a statement he received from Jack Daniel’s’ manufacturer, Brown-Forman Corporation, saying the company he was “set to expose” had just announced a decision to drop diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes.
“They must have been tipped off by us going through employee LinkedIn pages,” Starbuck claimed. “We are winning and one by one we will bring sanity back to corporate America.”
In an email, published on Wednesday (21 August), the company’s executive leadership team (ELT), said it believed “the world has evolved” since launching a DEI campaign in 2019.
A new “strategic framework,” which the ELT says began in January, includes ending the company’s partnership with the Human Rights Campaign and its Corporate Equality Index Survey: a campaign designed to benchmark private companies’ efforts to foster an inclusive workspace.
Despite scrapping its inclusivity goals, the company claims it will continue to try to foster an inclusive workspace where “everyone is welcomed, respected and able to bring their best self to work.”
The email went on to say: “We know it will not be easy to navigate the road ahead but please know our deep belief in, and respect for, each of you remains constant. We are continually inspired by your passion for our brands, your dedication to our business and, most importantly, your care for each other.”
However, some people on social media were far from convinced, describing the decision as “cringeworthy” and “pathetic and spineless”.
One person said: “Just another reason to support small-business owners instead of these big-time corporate hacks.”
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