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Is Tractor Supply 'Woke'? Controversy & Boycott Calls Explained
The Direct ^ | 23 Jun, 2024 | Sam Hargrave

Posted on 06/26/2024 5:38:18 PM PDT by MtnClimber

Tractor Supply is facing controversy and calls for a boycott over its supposed "woke" agenda, diversity, and inclusive hiring policies.

Founded in 1938, Tractor Supply has 2200 stores across the U.S. and over 46,000 employees across 49 states. The American retail giant is known for selling home, garden, land, and animal-related products.

Tractor Supply's 'Woke' Controversy Explained Right-wing activist Robby Starbuck lashed out at Tractor Supply and CEO Hal Lawton in a viral post on X (formerly Twitter), which has over 2.7 million views. Starbuck criticized the company for having customers' "hard-earned money spent on these woke priorities" such as LGBTQIA+ and related DEI initiatives:

- "LGBTQIA+ training for employees

- Funding pride/drag events

- They have a DEI Council

- Funding sex changes

- Climate change activism

- Pride month decorations in the office

- DEI hiring practices

- LGBTQIA+ events at work"

In a follow-up post, Starbuck shared a quote from one of Tractor Supply's yearly reports which discussed its $570,000 donation to causes supporting the disabled, minorities, and LGBTQIA+ groups in 2021:

"In 2021, Tractor Supply donated more than $570,000 to DE&I causes, benefitting veterans, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+ youth, Hispanic Team Members, women and Black and African Americans."

Starbuck alleged that the vast majority of Tractor Supply's customer base is conservative before sharing images from retail stores coated in LGBTQIA+ flags and other assorted Pride-related decorations.

The right-wing activist accused Tractor Supply and Hal Lawton of having a "woke" agenda and funding these policies with customers' money.

Starbuck went on to encourage Tractor Supply shoppers to take their business elsewhere and proposed Lawton instead use some of his reported $11 million salary on these causes as opposed to company money.

The official Tractor Supply corporate website details some of its policies for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Its policies cover four areas - team members, welcoming environments, customers, and communities with a promise in its hiring to "reflect the diversity of [their] communities and customers:"

"Team Members: Attract, engage, develop & retain Team Members with backgrounds that reflect the diversity of our communities and customers.

Welcoming Environments: Ensure that the power of our values is experienced every day across our Team Members, customers and the communities we call home.

Customers: Know and celebrate our diverse customers and create a welcoming and inclusive experience.

Communities: Foster meaningful relationships with diverse community partners and invest in the communities we call home."

According to CEO Action, Tractor Supply offered company-wide DEI training in 2020 to educate employees on "unconscious bias and inclusiveness:"

"Beginning in the 3rd quarter of 2020 we set out on a mission to educate all Team Members on the topics of unconscious bias and inclusiveness. We offered Conscious Inclusion, Instructor Led - Training to our District Managers and all people leaders at our Store Support Center and Distribution Centers... Our Store Managers and all Individual Contributors in the company received an E-learning training on 'The Need for Inclusion.'"

On its official corporate website, Tractor Supply revealed in 2023 how it had been recognized by "two separate entities as a diverse and inclusive workplace." These included qualifying for the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index and being hailed among America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity.

Executive Vice President Melissa Kersey addressed Tractor Supply's DEI recognition in the post, calling the retail giant a "safe, respectful, and inclusive work environment:"......


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Society
KEYWORDS: dei; globohomo; gowokegobroke; homosexualpolicy; tractorsupply; wokeism
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To: Openurmind

Yes, chickens are wasteful. 😉


41 posted on 06/27/2024 12:47:19 PM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: MtnClimber; All

Sounds like TSC has heard the voice of their customers and reversed their DEI stance.
https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1806423481283924210

Massive victory to report. I’ve exposed the woke agenda @TractorSupply
’s corporate office for 3 weeks. Now they’ve responded.

Here’s their statement:

• They will no longer sponsor pride festivals!

• They are ELIMINATING ALL DEI roles and they’re retiring their DEI goals.

• They will no longer submit data to the human rights campaign for a corporate equality index store.

• They will withdraw from carbon emission goals.

• They promise to continue to listen to their customers and Team Members.

• Refocus our Team Member Engagement Groups on mentoring, networking and supporting the business.

This monumental change is thanks to all of you who supported my work exposing this, to the whistleblowers in Tractor Supply and my fellow farm owners who respectfully spoke up. I’m working to get more information about these changes but this is a fantastic moment for the fight to banish wokeness, DEI and ESG from the workplace.

This is one of many dominoes to fall to bring back an economy where the customer is king once again and woke politics are eliminated from the workplace. Looking forward to your reactions in the comments!


42 posted on 06/27/2024 2:55:32 PM PDT by Rio
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To: Rio

43 posted on 06/27/2024 2:57:08 PM PDT by Rio
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To: Rio

Good deal. They must have gotten an ear full. I had already searched for an alternative in my area.


44 posted on 06/27/2024 5:00:37 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page. More photos added.)
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