EXCLUSIVETop US toolmaker quietly removes DEI and LGBTQ campaigns from its website after boycott
The power toolmaker Stanley Black and Decker appears to have scrubbed its website of references to diversity quotas and LGBTQ campaigns in the face of a damaging boycott.
The power toolmaker Stanley Black and Decker appears to have scrubbed its website of references to diversity quotas and LGBTQ campaigns in the face of a damaging boycott.
The company, which is behind such brands as DeWalt, Black and Decker, and Stanley, has in recent days removed pages about its equity training workshops and multimillion dollar giveaways to racial equity groups.
The move appears to be a response to the conservative group Consumers Research launching a boycott of Stanley Black and Decker products over the companys diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.
While other firms have publically announced U-turns on DEI or informed employees in internal memos, the toolmaker seems to have chosen only to remove some of its controversial online content.
Will Hild, the director of Consumers Research, accused the company of deleting all evidence of their offensive activities from their website when they should be more upfront with their customers.
The Connecticut-based company is behind such popular home improvement brands as DeWalt, Black and Decker, and Stanley.
But behind the scenes, executives have been pushing a diversity-hiring and LGBTQ agenda
Until they own up to their mistakes and publicly apologize for their failures, consumers should assume that Stanley Black and Decker has every intention to continue putting woke politics ahead of their customers, Hild told The Mail.
He added that the firms DEI efforts could well persist, albeit more surreptitiously than before they were caught.
The $24 billion Connecticut-based company did not answer our request for comment.
The boycott comes at a tough time for the toolmaker, which has seen its stock value sink in recent months, as it shutters plants and distribution hubs in a bid to trim $2 billion in costs and turn a profit.
The firms DEI tsar Joe Simms
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) schemes are a front-line issue in Americas culture wars.
Advocates say they help get more women and minorities into jobs and colleges. Critics say they unfairly deny opportunities to straight, white men and others, even those who are better candidates.
Consumers Research in a report last week panned the Connecticut-based firm for corporate decisions that were influenced by race.
The firm aimed to increase business with minority suppliers by at least 10 percent by 2025, donate $10.5 million to racial equity groups, and had compulsory equity training sessions for bosses, said the group.
It highlighted comments from the firms diversity chief Joe Simms, who spoke of DEI as an unwavering focus for the firm and one of its foundational commitments.
Executives also teamed up with the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group, and took part in its equality index, which ranks firms on how friendly they are to gay and transgender staff.
The report includes filings that show the company spent $280,000 on lobbying lawmakers for the Equality Act, which would enshrine in federal law that biological males can participate in womens sports.
The Mail surveyed the companys website and social media channels and found repeated references to its DEI work and support for inclusive workspaces and celebrations of Pride month.
Many such pages were pulled down over the weekend.
As of Tuesday, several Stanley Black and Decker web pages previously about DEI are now listed as unavailable or have broken links.
References to the firms racial equity roadmap and about the $10.5 million payouts to racial justice activists appear to have been pulled.
According to Hild, they even scrubbed the press release announcing that Simms had been hired as Chief Diversity Officer.
Members of the companys DEI team also appear to have made their social media profiles less visible, said Hild.
In some cases, the social media pages referred to the influence of hard-line DEI authors and activists, such as Janice Gassam Asare.
While Stanley Black and Deckers DEI efforts are uncontroversial to many, firms are increasingly under pressure from conservatives for ignoring their customers and pushing an unwelcome social agenda.
In recent weeks, Ford, Lowes, Coors, Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply, John Deere and other well-known brands have pulled the plug on their DEI work or their support for LGBTQ causes.
Will Hild, director of Consumers Research, a conservative advocacy group, says Stanley Black and Decker has been scrubbing its website of references to DEI
The companys social media feeds repeatedly referred to its DEI work and support for an inclusive workspaces and celebrations of Pride month.
Will Hild, director of Consumers Research, a policy nonprofit, says Stanley Black and Decker is pushing cultural values that have nothing to do with ensuring consumer satisfaction.
The companys diversity push may be at odds with some consumers who associate home improvements with manliness
Many were pushed into action by the online anti-DEI campaigner Robby Starbuck. Others have faced legal challenges from America First Legal, a group led by former Trump administration officials.
Many companies that embraced DEI policies in the wake of the cop killing of unarmed black man George Floyd in May 2020 have stepped back from them for fear of irking conservative customers.
Some businesses have received public shareholder letters since 2021 saying their DEI schemes amount to illegal discrimination and breach directors duties to investors.
Anti-DEI groups were energized by the US Supreme Court ruling in June 2023 that struck down affirmative action in university admissions, a ruling that does not directly affect employers.
Former president Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for US president, has been highly critical of DEI initiatives.
For some, DEI schemes are important and necessary, as they can help to overcome historical racism and sexism and make it easier for people of all backgrounds to get ahead in education and work.
Critics say its a form of reverse discrimination that unfairly blows back on straight, white men and others.
Others say DEI schemes may be well-intentioned, but seldom achieve their desired goals and that mandatory workshops on micro-aggressions and white fragility often make things worse by stirring up divisions in offices and classrooms.
An Ipsos poll in April found that 61 percent of voters called DEI a good thing.
Still, a Gallup survey from around the same time found that only 38 percent of people wanted businesses to be taking a stance on current events — a drop of 10 percentage points from 2022.
