Some companies have taken a step back from DE&I in recent months, but civil rights organizations and advocates say that abandoning these efforts, especially as they relate to LGBTQ+ workers, will undermine progress and harm business.
The latest. Several civil rights organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), NAACP, National Women’s Law Center, and American Association of People with Disabilities, wrote a letter to Fortune 500 CEOs in mid-September, in response to anti-DE&I efforts. The organizations called on the CEOs and their boards to reaffirm their commitment to “workplace inclusion” for the betterment of their business.
Lowe’s, Molson Coors, Ford, and others have all walked back their DE&I programs in recent months, announcing they will not participate in the HRC workplace index. Their decisions have, in part, been the result of a social media campaign by conservative activist Robby Starbuck. His efforts have focused on gay and transgender people in particular; he previously made a film attacking trans people.
However, there’s a strong business case for continuing DE&I efforts, the civil rights groups reminded the CEOs. Diverse companies perform better financially, and emerging professionals prefer to work for them.
”Abandoning DEI will have long-term consequences on business success -- ultimately shirking fiduciary responsibility to employees, consumers, and shareholders,” the letter read. “Businesses that fail to include women, people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people neglect their financial duty to recruit and retain top talent from across the full talent pool and limit their company’s performance overall.”
LGBTQ+ workers undermined. LGBTQ+ advocates who spoke with HR Brew said they’re concerned about employers’ reversals, and pointed to the community’s history of facing political attacks. While anti-LGBTQ+ legislation slowed in 2024, a record number of bills were introduced in 2023, with some states restricting gender definitions and limiting protections for students.
“This is part of a concerted effort to disenfranchise this community writ large,” Sandra Perez, executive director for NYC Pride, told HR Brew, noting that targeting LGBTQ+ workers is just the latest step in a wider effort. “It’s happening with drag shows. It’s happening with funding. It is happening in boardrooms, and we need to understand that and be prepared.”
The letter from the civil rights organizations said that when people expect equal treatment at work, it’s not about politics, but humanity. By abandoning DE&I programs, companies are putting politics in front of employees, and workers could be exposed to discrimination.
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Employers’ withdrawal from “HRC is particularly troubling, because they were the vanguard of equality for queer people,” Anu Gupta, founder and CEO of Be More, a DE&I training company, told HR Brew. “The attack on them feels like an attack on us overall, because the index in particular, had made such a huge shift in culture within workplaces and our overall culture as a nation.”
Perez said companies that opt out of the HRC rating system are signaling to the public that they don’t want to be held accountable for their work culture. “When we see this being the intent to roll this back is chilling, but I don't think, ultimately, will be successful.”
While some DE&I opponents argue that a person’s gender or sexual identity isn’t relevant in the workplace, Gupta, who identifies as a gay man, disagrees. “The queer identity isn’t just about who we sleep with. There’s a whole way of expressing our being…And that seeps into the workplace culture,” he explained. “[With] how they cut their hair, whether the suit can be tighter or looser; little things that allow human beings to express the fullness of who they are.”
An inclusive future. Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, said that while the DE&I rollbacks are concerning, she is hopeful that the majority of companies will continue on a path towards an inclusive workplace, even if it’s done more quietly. “[Corporations] understand how important LGBTQ+ people are,” she told HR Brew. “Companies who are stepping away from DE&I are just actually stepping away from the words, because those seem to be triggering these extremists… so they’re actually not rolling back their initiatives, because they know they can’t attract the best employees or new consumers without it.”
Ellis’ optimism may have some truth to it. While DE&I roles have fallen 43% since they peaked in 2022, 85% companies have a DE&I budget, and 45% planned to expand programs in 2024.
Perez and Ellis believe that employers should act as allies and speak up for their LGBTQ+ employees. “We need those corporations who do value DE&I to speak up,” Perez said. “All too often silence is considered acceptable, but this is one instance where silence is being viewed as agreement, and we need to be really vigilant about holding our corporate partners responsible.”