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 US employees and 1,500 dealers.

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.

  • @Hobbes_Dent
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    159 seconds ago

    Customer boycotts you say? An anti-DEI activist calls for a boycott and you acquiesce?

    Guess who’s boycotting now.

  • Ricky Rigatoni
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    143 hours ago

    Oh. I thought attacks meant bombing a dealership. Not whining like a little bitch on the internet. Shitass coward car company.

  • @Myxomatosis
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    114 hours ago

    Robby is just another right wing weirdo.

  • @[email protected]
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    326 hours ago

    One rando gets online for a week and they decide to fuck over millions.

    Fuck Toyota, will never buy one and will tell everyone I know not too.

    • @UnderpantsWeevilOP
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      46 hours ago

      This is, unfortunately, much bigger than one guy one the internet in the last week. We’ve been hapless bystanders in the Culture War for… centuries.

  • @[email protected]
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    418 hours ago

    The fact that this “Robby Starbuck” shitbag has any type of power over anything is fucking disgusting.

    • @UnderpantsWeevilOP
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      257 hours ago

      He’s a cat’s paw for conservative activists. Specifically, he’s close friends with Bill Ackman, a hedge fund manager with too much free time and a chip on his shoulder, who has made “anti-DEI” a focus of his investment strategy.

      Robby whines about DEI, Ackman starts moving money to put downward pressure on the stock, people get scared, and Ackman looks like an investment guru for effectively manipulating the price of securities.

  • Optional
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    207 hours ago

    Toyota does dumb things sometimes. This is one of those times.

  • @Nightwingdragon
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    418 hours ago

    Well, I know my next vehicle won’t be a Toyota

    • @EmpathicVagrant
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      167 hours ago

      Oh the company that donated 3x as much as the second biggest donor to the insurrection folks? They’ve been on my ‘never buy’ list ever since.

        • Omega
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          6 hours ago

          Can confirm. They’re dependable. According to the Goods Unite Us app, 55% of their political donations are to Republicans.

          Some others according to the app:

          GMC: 54% R
          Ford: 51% R
          Tesla: 51% D
          Hyundai: 75% D
          Nissan: 83% D
          Dodge: 86% D
          Jeep: 86% D
          Honda: 90% D

        • @EmpathicVagrant
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          46 hours ago

          Eh i only ever buy used anyway so it’s not like I’m paying them but the brand makes my skin crawl these days.

  • Tiefling IRL
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    167 hours ago

    Proof that rainbow capitalism has always and will forever be about money. They don’t actually give a fuck about human rights

    • @skeezix
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      36 hours ago

      Yup, same as sustainability capitalism and environmental capitalism.

    • @UnderpantsWeevilOP
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      44 hours ago

      Eh. They’ve been on the decline. Enshittification comes for us all.