Harley-Davidson Disavows DEI Goals Amid Social Media Backlash

Motorcycle models from a line at Black Hills Harley-Davidson in Rapid City, South Dakota, on June 17, 2023. Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

Harley-Davidson has clarified its stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals and initiatives amid what it described as “negativity on social media.”

The company said in an Aug. 19 statement that it initiated an internal review earlier in the year to “better align Company activities to the needs of both our business and community.”

Following the review, the company said it would end its relationship with the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT advocacy group.

Addressing concerns about its employee training programs, the company said that all training initiatives will now be strictly business-focused and free from “socially motivated” content.

Harley-Davidson also said it would review all sponsorships and outside organizations the company is affiliated with. The Milwaukee-based company had previously been a corporate member of the Wisconsin LBGT Chamber of Commerce, an organization supporting LGBT entrepreneurs.

“As a consumer brand, we will focus exclusively on growing the sport of motorcycling and retaining our loyal riding community, in addition to the support we already provide to first responders, active military members and veterans,” the iconic motorcycle maker wrote.

According to the statement, Harley-Davidson currently has no “DEI function” and has not operated under DEI guidelines since April. The company further clarified that it has no hiring quotas and no longer has “supplier diversity spend goals” aimed at incorporating businesses owned by people from diverse backgrounds into its supply chain.

“We are saddened by the negativity on social media over the last few weeks, designed to divide the Harley-Davidson community,” the company said.

Conservative commentator and filmmaker Robby Starbuck welcomed the statement, calling it “another win for our movement.”

Starbuck, who is known for his social media activism, first took aim at Harley-Davidson in July. In a video shared on X, he listed examples of how Harley-Davidson embraced what he called a woke culture, including sponsoring the Wisconsin LBGT Chamber and donating to the Milwaukee chapter of United Way, a nonprofit group advocating for racial equity and social justice.

The bulk of Starbuck’s video drew material from Harley-Davidson’s 2020 report. According to the report, more than 1,800 global employees in that year completed virtual training to learn “what an ally is and how to take their own journey to becoming an ally.”

Harley-Davidson employees also participated in a “National Coming Out Day” event, in addition to a learning session about how “social identities” such as gender and race affect people’s daily lives and the way people engage with each other.

The report also highlights CEO Jochen Zeitz’s signing of the “CEO Action Pledge for Diversity and Inclusion,” as well as the company’s near-perfect Corporate Equality Index (CEI) score, which is overseen by the Human Rights Campaign. The CEI measures how closely a company’s policies adhere to a set of criteria concerning “LGBTQ equality” in the workplace.

“Let me tell you what your customers actually want,” Starbuck said at the end of the video, addressing the company’s leadership. “No more CEI scores. No more DEI departments. No more woke trainings. No more donations to woke causes. Just make motorcycles, period.”

Starbuck’s comments were amplified by other social media personalities, including X owner Elon Musk and Ohio gun range owner Brian Lanckiewicz, who runs the popular YouTube channel “Columbia War Machine.”

In an Aug. 14 video, Lanckiewicz accused the company of turning “woke,” before blowing up his own Harley-Davidson motorcycle using machine guns, rifles, and other weapons.