Toyota is the latest brand to come under attack over its LGBTQ+ and DEI initiatives

Japanese multi-national car-manufacturer Toyota has become the latest brand to be attacked by anti-LGBTQ+ pundits because of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

In recent months, right-wing figures, including Robby Starbuck – labelled a “MAGA weirdo” by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) – and independent not-for-profit organisation Consumers’ Research, which targets “wokeness” in businesses, have galvanised a conservative backlash against US firms that have policies which support minority employees and suppliers.

Brands such as Ford, Stanley Black & Decker, Lowe’s, Jack Daniel’s and John Deere have faced online criticism, with many subsequently dropping DEI schemes and policies – moves that HRC president Kelley Robinson called “poor, short-sighted decisions”.

The latest company to be the focus of Starbuck’s attention is Toyota, which has it US headquarters in Plano, Texas. He said the firm was “one of the most-trusted brands in America but [had] gone totally woke”.

He listed various initiatives the company has led or been involved in, such as having DEI training for employees, donating to charities that support LGBTQ+ people, and having employee resource groups (ERG) for queer and Black members of staff.

“To put it mildly, Toyota seems to have forgotten who their core customers are,” Starbuck claimed.

“They depend on American families and Japanese families to buy their cars. It’s time to remind them who their customers are. I don’t think the values at corporate reflect the values many Toyota/Lexus owners have (with the exception of maybe Prius owners who probably like the woke stuff).

“Do Toyota/Lexus owners want the money they spend to be used later by corporate to push an ideology that’s diametrically opposed to their own values?”

Toyota, however, has said the many LGBTQ+ activities were led by employees, rather than senior leadership. “Not every activity is sanctioned by the company, and we have over 14 affinities and 116 chapters, and over 8,000 members in our ERGs,” a spokesman told Bloomberg.

As the right-wing backlash continues, research has shown queer people will not support businesses which throw away their commitments.

The 2024 LGBTQ+ Climate Survey, for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, found 80 per cent of queer adults in the US would boycott a company that rolled back equality programmes, and more than 75 per cent would have a less-favourable opinion of a company which cut its DEI policies.

Fifty-two per cent said they would urge others to boycott the company, including by posting negative reviews on social media.

As for LGBTQ+ employees of a company that axed DEI initiatives, 72 per cent said that they would feel less included or accepted at work, and one-third felt their productivity would suffer. Close to 20 per cent would start to look for a new job immediately.

Previous research has shown that the “pink” dollar has high value to the economy. With almost 30 per cent of Gen Z identifying as queer – and holding up to $1.4 trillion (£1.06 trillion) in spending power – rolling back on DEI could have long-term financial repercussions for businesses.

Orlando Gonzales, the senior vice-president for programmes, research and training at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, said earlier this month that the “LGBTQ+ community is an economic powerhouse, and we want to work for and support companies who support us”.

He went on to say: “Attacks on DEI initiatives are short-sighted and make our workplaces less safe and less inclusive for hard-working Americans of all demographics and backgrounds.

“This data confirms that companies like Molson-Coors, Ford, and others that abandon their values and backtrack from commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion, risk losing both top employee talent and consumer dollars.”

Despite several large companies publicly abandoning DEI, the HRC said it had seen record participation in its soon-to-be-published Corporate Equality Index, which measures policies, practices and benefits affecting LGBTQ+ employees’ experience at work.

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