Major retail chain joins growing list of US brands to ditch Pride events, DEI schemes

The home improvement retailer Lowe's has become the latest brand to scrap its support for Pride events and other diversity, equity, and inclusion schemes in the face of consumer boycotts. Lowe's will stop cooperating with the Human Rights Campaign, a major LGBTQ group, and will no longer separate employees into so-called 'resource groups' based on race, religion or sexual identities, according to an internal memo. Lowe's has scrapped much of its DEI work, according to an internal memo from the company with more than 1,700 stores, including this location in Los Angeles Anti-DEI campaigner Robby Starbuck claims another scalp with Lowe's climbdown on Pride parades The anti-DEI campaigner Robby Starbuck celebrated the move on X, saying Lowe's had bowed to pressure from consumers who reject 'woke' and 'ridiculous' diversity policies in US corporations. According to Starbuck, he approached Lowe's last week, telling the firm he planned to target the home-improvement giant over policies such as their employee resource groups and donations to Pride events. Lowe's $18 million-a-year CEO Marvin Ellison is steering the retailer away from DEI The $42 billion company has nearly 300,000 employees spread across 1,700 locations Some businesses have received public shareholder letters since 2021 saying their DEI schemes amount to illegal discrimination and breach directors' duties to investors.