Molson Coors Joins Growing List of Iconic Brands Rolling Back ‘Woke’ DEI Policies
In a move that signals a broader shift in corporate America, Molson Coors, the powerhouse behind beloved American beers like Coors Light and Miller Lite, has announced a significant rollback of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. This decision comes amid mounting pressure from conservative activists and consumers who have grown increasingly vocal against what they perceive as the “woke” agenda infiltrating major companies.
The internal letter detailing these sweeping changes was obtained by conservative activist Robby Starbuck, who wasted no time in bringing the news to the public’s attention. “Last week, I messaged executives from @CoorsLight @MolsonCoors to let them know that I planned to expose their woke policies. Today they’re preemptively making changes,” Starbuck announced on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
According to reports, Molson Coors is eliminating DEI training sessions and doing away with diversity goals for its suppliers. The company is also making a significant shift in how it ties executive compensation to performance, moving away from “aspirational representation goals” and focusing solely on business outcomes. In another notable move, Molson Coors is withdrawing from the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, which ranks companies based on their LGBTQ+ inclusivity.
Starbuck also revealed that Molson Coors will cease its donations to what he described as “divisive events.” This step back from DEI policies mirrors actions taken by other major corporations in recent weeks, all of which have faced intense scrutiny from right-leaning groups who are pushing back against what they see as unnecessary and politically motivated corporate policies.
Molson Coors is not alone in this pivot. Just in the past few weeks, iconic American brands such as Jack Daniel’s, Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply, and John Deere have all reversed course on their DEI initiatives in response to consumer backlash. This trend marks a significant shift in the corporate landscape, where companies are increasingly finding themselves caught between progressive DEI agendas and a growing conservative pushback.
“Our campaigns are so effective that we’re getting multi-billion dollar organizations to change their policies without me even posting just from the fear they have of being the next company that we expose,” Starbuck wrote in his post, clearly indicating the powerful influence that grassroots conservative activism is wielding over corporate giants.
Starbuck’s sentiment reflects a broader movement that is gaining traction across the country. The shift towards “sanity and neutrality,” as he describes it, is now becoming more of a trend than an outlier. For many conservatives, this rollback of DEI policies represents a victory in the ongoing battle to keep corporate America aligned with traditional values rather than progressive ideologies.
This trend isn’t limited to Molson Coors and the other brands mentioned. Just last week, Lowe’s, the massive home improvement retailer, announced that it too would be scrapping support for Pride events and other DEI policies. In a memo to its employees, Lowe’s stated that it would stop cooperating with the Human Rights Campaign and would no longer segregate employees into so-called “resource groups” based on race, religion, or sexual identity. Instead, the company plans to focus on events related to
its core business, such as affordable housing and skilled trades education.
The decision by Lowe’s, a $42 billion company with nearly 300,000 employees, follows the same pattern of preemptive changes in response to anticipated backlash from conservative consumers. According to Starbuck, he had approached Lowe’s with the intention of targeting the company over its DEI policies, which prompted the company to reconsider and revise its stance. This demonstrates the growing influence of consumer sentiment in shaping corporate policies, especially when that sentiment is backed by well-organized and vocal activist groups.
The broader context for these corporate retreats from DEI initiatives can be traced back to the June 2023 Supreme Court decision that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Many companies that had enthusiastically embraced DEI policies, particularly in the wake of George Floyd’s tragic death in May 2020, are now reassessing these commitments. The fear of alienating conservative customers, who are increasingly rejecting what they see as a push towards a progressive social agenda, is driving this reevaluation.
In an internal memo, Lowe’s executives indicated that the company started reviewing its DEI policies following the Supreme Court ruling. The decision to combine its business resource groups into one umbrella organization and to cease participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s survey process are part of this broader strategic shift. These changes are being closely watched by other companies that may be considering similar moves to avoid the wrath of conservative consumers.
The rollback of DEI policies by major companies like Molson Coors and Lowe’s is not just about bowing to consumer pressure; it also reflects a significant shift in the corporate world’s approach to social responsibility. The pendulum, it seems, is swinging back towards a more traditional and business-focused approach, where companies prioritize profitability and shareholder interests over social and political activism.
For conservative activists like Robby Starbuck, these developments are a clear sign that their efforts are paying off. “We are winning, and one by one we WILL bring sanity back to corporate America,” Starbuck declared, signaling that this is just the beginning of a larger movement to push back against what he and others perceive as the overreach of DEI policies in corporate America.
As more companies like Molson Coors and Lowe’s take steps to dial back their DEI initiatives, the message is clear: the voice of the consumer, particularly the conservative consumer, is powerful and cannot be ignored. The battle over DEI policies in corporate America is far from over, but for now, the tide appears to be turning in favor of those advocating for a return to traditional business values.
