Milwaukee-based motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson has announced it will roll back some of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies after facing weeks of conservative backlash.
On Monday, the company released a statement addressing the social media outrage surrounding its DEI initiatives, leading to a surge of posts from MAGA influencers and conservative activists who called it a win against progressive corporate policies.
DEI refers to initiatives aimed at addressing discrimination against historically marginalized groups in schools, businesses, and government agencies. However, conservative activists have objected to these measures they view as “woke”, as part of the wider ongoing culture wars.
Newsweek has contacted Harley-Davidson via email for comment outside business hours.
A Harley-Davidson motorcycle with a pride flag at a Pride parade in Los Angeles, California, June 12, 2022. Harley-Davidson has announced it will roll-back some of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies after facing conservative backlash.
Richard Vogel/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Statement From Harley-Davidson
“For over 120 years, Harley-Davidson has brought the joy of motorcycling to riders around the world, no matter who they are, where they come from or what they believe in,” the company said in its statement on X, formerly Twitter.
In response to the backlash it has received in recent weeks, the company said it was “saddened by the negativity on social media” and clarified that it has not operated a DEI function since April, does not have hiring quotas, and has stopped pursuing supplier diversity spend goals.
Additionally, the motorcycle manufacturer announced it would no longer participate in Human Rights Campaign (HRC) scoring, an element of LGBTQ+ corporate advocacy.
‘Go Woke, Go Broke’
Replying to the statement, MAGA influencer @catturd2 wrote: “You literally s*** on the people who got you there. GFY!”. The comment was liked 14,000 times at the time of writing, while Harley-Davidson’s statement was liked 5100 times.
Another MAGA influencer @GuntherEagleman wrote: “Go woke… go broke.” The comment was liked 6,000 times by Tuesday.
The response from Harley-Davidson was greeted with enthusiasm by the leader of the backlash, Robby Starbuck, a Nashville-based former music video director and one-time Republican congressional candidate who has previously rallied against “woke” corporate agendas. He called Harley-Davidson’s shift “another win” for the movement.
In a post on X, Starbuck wrote: “Harley-Davidson corporate can be sad all they want but our movement gets results. This is only the beginning.”
Starbuck’s post, which garnered 1.6 million views by Tuesday, summed up the movement’s broader strategy to pressure corporations into rolling back policies perceived as aligning with progressive social causes.
Starbuck initially “exposed” the company in a video posted on X in July, detailing how it supports various progressive policies and has implemented “totally woke” employee training.
It’s time to expose Harley Davidson.@harleydavidson has been one of the most beloved brands in America but recently on CEO Jochen Zeitz’s watch, they’ve gone totally woke.
Here’s some of what we found:
• Openly supports “the equality act” which would allow men into girl’s… pic.twitter.com/15kPUy8WVY
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) July 23, 2024
The Backlash Against Harley-Davidson
The backlash against Harley-Davidson had been brewing for weeks, with conservative voices condemning what they viewed as the company’s embrace of progressive policies.
Earlier in August, YouTube creator Columbia War Machine posted a video that was viewed over 500,000 times in which he destroyed his Harley-Davidson motorcycle by shooting it with a machine gun in protest of the company’s perceived “wokeness.” “DEI, it is the thing that’s going to destroy civilization as we know it,” he said. “What that means is communism!”
The video finished with Columbia War Machine by placing the bullet-ridden motorcycle on a barrel filled with an undisclosed explosive and blowing it up with a 50-caliber rifle. “Woke-a** Harley, say hello to my little friends,” he said.
‘Corporate Culture Wars’
The incident is reminiscent of other conservative boycotts, such as the high-profile backlash against Bud Light last year after the beer brand partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Bud Light’s sales plummeted, and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, saw a drop in stock value.
Conservative influencers have continued to apply this pressure to other companies, with recent boycotts targeting Dunkin’ Donuts and Tractor Supply for their apparent support of progressive causes.
Harley-Davidson, perhaps sensing the risk of a similar backlash, appeared to recalibrate its stance.
In its statement, the company emphasized that its focus moving forward would be on growing the sport of motorcycling and supporting first responders, active military members, and veterans.
Nevertheless, some conservatives urged restraint in their criticism of the company. Christopher F. Rufo, a senior fellow at the conservative think-tank the Manhattan Institute, advised supporters to reward Harley-Davidson’s course correction rather than continuing to attack it.
“Conservatives: Now is the time to praise, rather than attack, Harley-Davidson,” Rufo wrote on X, urging his followers to encourage companies that scale back DEI programs rather than solely punishing them for adopting such policies in the first place.
