OAN Staff James Meyers
2:22 PM – Thursday, July 25, 2024
Famous Motorcycle company Harley-Davidson has become the latest major brand to face backlash over its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, after a conservative online influencer called for a boycott of the motorcycle making company.
Robby Starbuck, the former GOP candidate for a congressional seat in Tennessee, who has more than half a million followers on X, posted about Harley-Davidson’s support for hardline policies about trans care for kids, hosting an LGBTQ+ boot camp at its offices, critical race theory and sidelining White people in business.
Last week, Starbuck organized an online campaign that caused John Deere and Tractor Supply to walk back its DEI initiatives, which included eliminating Pride parades and festivals.
“I don’t think the values at corporate reflect the values of nearly any Harley-Davidson bikers,” Starbuck said.
In a 10-minute rant that was posted on X, Starbuck stated that the motorcycle-maker is a “platinum founding member of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce in Wisconsin,” which is known for banning transgender surgeries for children.
Starbuck added: “Do Harley riders want the money they spend at Harley to be used later by corporate to push an ideology that’s diametrically opposed to their own values?”
Additionally, Starbuck called out Harley-Davidson’s CEO, Jochen Zeits, by stating he “uses his millions to change opinions on climate change.”
Zeitz has announced that the company will make all Harley-Davidson vehicles run on electricity by 2030.
Starbuck also claimed that Harley-Davidson organized an “LGBTQ+ entrepreneurship boot camp” at its corporate headquarters in Wisconsin.
The famous motorcycle brand sponsored an LGBTQ event that offered a “rage room” that was adjacent to a “story time room for children to interact with drag queens,” according to Starbuck.
In 2023, conservatives organized a boycott of the beer brand Bud Light after it partnered with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney in a campaign to promote the beer.
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