Harley-Davidson Faces Boycott for Being Pro-LGBTQ
The motorcycle giant was criticized for its support of Pride-themed events, pro-diversity initiatives, and commitment to electric vehicles.
Motorcycle giant Harley-Davidson is being threatened with right-wing boycotts over its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, with critics claiming the iconic company has turned “woke.”
Robby Starbuck, a conservative activist, accused Harley-Davidson of betraying the conservative values held by the company’s main customer base.
Starbuck lambasted the company for being a “platinum founding member of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce in Wisconsin,” a business-centric organization that has publicly opposed legislation barring youth from accessing gender-affirming care.
Starbuck also posted an advertisement in which Harley-Davidson claimed to be “all in on diversity and inclusion.” He claimed that the company “celebrated” its legal department “taking a woke 21-day racial equity and literacy challenge” that promoted works like the “1619 Project,” a book titled Black Panthers and White Lies, and work by Ibram X. Kendi, a Boston University academic whose books promote the concept of “anti-racism.”
Starbuck claimed that the company had organized an “LGBTQ+ entrepreneurship boot camp” at its corporate offices in Wisconsin and sponsored an LGBTQ event with a “rage room” adjacent to a “story time room for children to interact with drag queens.”
He also criticized the company’s CEO, German-born businessman Jochen Zeitz, for setting a goal to make all Harley-Davidson vehicles run on electricity by 2030, which Starbuck alleged was trying to “change opinions on climate change.”
“I don’t think the values at corporate reflect the values of nearly any Harley-Davidson bikers,” said the former GOP candidate for a congressional seat in Tennessee.
Starbuck has organized online campaigns targeting brands whose customer bases are perceived to be more conservative, including farm equipment manufacturers John Deere and Tractor Supply, to renounce their DEI initiatives and refuse to support any pro-LGBTQ organizations or causes.
The attack on Harley-Davidson is the latest incident in the conservative version of “cancel culture,” in which right-wing influencers attempt to sway consumers into either formally boycotting or informally refusing to patronize businesses that celebrate “wokeness,” a term with a frequently-shifting definition that generally refers to a host of ideas, including celebrating cultural or racial identities; prioritizing the hiring of a more diverse workforce; embracing LGBTQ identities, particularly those of transgender individuals; and supporting pro-environmental policies or embracing sustainable energy initiatives.
Last year, conservatives boycotted Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, after the once-popular beer brand partnered with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney for an online advertisement. The boycott reportedly cost Bud Light nearly $1.4 billion in sales.
A similar backlash took place against retail giant Target for selling LGBTQ-themed merchandise or recognizing Pride Month, with some stores or individual employees even being threatened with violence. As a result, the chain largely stopped selling Pride-themed merchandise in many of its stores.
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