Toyota Motor Corp. will refocus DEI programs and halt sponsorship of LGBTQ events, citing “a highly politicized discussion” around corporate commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion.
The Japanese carmaker told employees it will also end participation in notable rankings by LGBTQ advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign and other corporate culture surveys. The company will “narrow our community activities to align with STEM education and workforce readiness,” it said in a memo Thursday to its 50,000 U.S. employees and 1,500 dealers.
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The note comes a week after anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck started a social media campaign against the company, calling for customer boycotts because of its support for LGBTQ events and other initiatives. Toyota said at the time that the LGBTQ programs targeted were led by employee groups, not the company directly.
A spokesman for the company on Thursday said Starbuck’s public attack drew a few hundred queries from employees, questions from a “small population” of dealers and about 30 customer calls to its call center. He described the impact as “negligible.”
As of Thursday, Toyota was still plugging its diversity programs on a section of its website that describes its culture with statements such as "D+I is a fundamental part of everything we do." Another section labeled Limitless Possibilities includes a photo of what appears to be a Pride parade with a woman holding a sign stating "Respect 4 People is the Toyota Way."