In 2022, the Human Rights Campaign deemed the Tractor Supply Company one of the best companies to work at for LGBTQ+ people. Overall, the retail store scored a 95 out of 100 for its workplace protections, inclusive benefits, internal training and inclusive culture, and corporate social responsibility.
Well, there will be no more of that!
Following an online campaign from far-right ponytailed twerp Robby Starbuck — who, along with his followers, was very upset that the store was too nice to LGBTQ+ people and the environment — Tractor Supply Company put out a notice last week announcing its plans to start trying to be worse.
The campaign has been the latest example of anti-woke hysteria, with Starbuck complaining about the company sponsoring Pride, supporting “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” having a good rating with the Human Rights Campaign, working towards reducing its carbon emissions, and having Team Member Engagement Groups for Black people and Latinos, but none specifically for white people.
Starbuck and friends were especially enraged to discover that a Black woman, Noni Ellison, was a Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at the company. Not only was Ellison too melanated for them, she also had Obama for a professor in law school and probably even voted for him — all of which they were pretty sure is illegal.
Tractor Supply Company was eager to apologize for all of this, issuing a statement this week that read:
We are passionate about being good neighbors in our hometowns because without you, we would not be what we are. It is imperative to us that our customers’ hard-earned dollars are taking care of our Team Members and the communities we all love. As you supported us, we have invested millions of dollars in veteran causes, emergency response, animal shelters, state fairs, rodeos and farmers markets. We have also invested in the future of rural America. We are the largest supporter of FFA and have longstanding relationships with 4-H and other educational organizations.
OOH! They might not want to do that. Because guess who has a DEI program also? 4-H! A rather robust one, in fact. Oh! And you know who else has been working on becoming more diverse? Future Farmers of America. Guess they should probably stop supporting these groups and instead support some organizations that the weirdos they hope to please would prefer instead. Like the Proud Boys or Patriot Front, those fun fellas who dress up in matching khakis and polo shirts and pour out of U-Hauls to promote Christian Nationalism and poor fashion choices.
We work hard to live up to our Mission and Values every day and represent the values of the communities and customers we serve. We have heard from customers that we have disappointed them. We have taken this feedback to heart.
Think about that. These people are “disappointed” because Tractor Supply was not shitty enough to other human beings or to the environment. They “took it to heart” that this was all really, really hurting their feelings!
The company then promised that they would
No longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign
Refocus our Team Member Engagement Groups on mentoring, networking and supporting the business
Further focus on rural America priorities including ag education, animal welfare, veteran causes and being a good neighbor and stop sponsoring nonbusiness activities like pride festivals and voting campaigns
Eliminate DEI roles and retire our current DEI goals while still ensuring a respectful environment
Withdraw our carbon emission goals and focus on our land and water conservation efforts
They might also want to be aware that a lot of their target demo will also consider animal welfare and any move towards land and water conservation to be “too woke” as well. Tractor Supply Company should consider the words of Ann Coulter, who once said, “God gave us the earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said, ‘Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It’s yours.'”
Now, there has been a massive increase in environmental lawsuits over the last couple years. Discrimination lawsuits filed by the EEOC increased by 50 percent from 2022 to 2023. And Tractor Supply Company just handed anyone who might want to sue them for discrimination or for environmental negligence some pretty solid evidence.
In fact, just a few months ago, Tractor Supply Company had to pay out $75,000 to a former Mississippi employee who was tortured by her manager and employees at two separate stores for having been born with HIV, information that her manager (quite illegally) pried out of her while interrogating her about why she had so many medical appointments.
Via the Miami Herald:
In turn, the manager disclosed that information to her co-workers, and by the time the woman transferred and was promoted in April 2018 to a different location of the company in Hattiesburg, her new co-workers had heard she had HIV, officials said.
They continued to spread the confidential information around and began harassing her, calling her a “contagion” and “contamination,” according to the complaint.
To be clear, it is extremely illegal, under the Americans With Disabilities Act, for a manager to reveal anyone’s private medical information to their coworkers.
They told her that her diagnosis “made everybody highly uncomfortable” and began avoiding her for fear they would get HIV, mentioning the store should be “under quarantine” because of her, officials said.
Customers began to learn she had HIV and questioned her about her diagnosis while she worked, she said in the complaint.
Wow! What an incredibly “woke” company, huh!
The thing that kills me about these dopes who start these “anti-woke” campaigns is they really think that these companies have these policies to appease the Left while disrespecting the bigots who (they believe) make up their customer base. Not so much!
The main reason companies have things like DEI training isn’t to hurt the delicate feelings of bigots, it’s to make sure that — just for instance — store managers know that they actually are not allowed to disclose someone’s HIV status to their coworkers and then relentlessly torture them over it, costing the company $75,000.
Now, this company may feel like they’re relatively safe from boycotts now, because their demographic obviously tilts more rural and, they assume, more conservative. They may also figure that they want to do everything they can to attract the one demographic willing to buy and personally consume horse antibiotics just to “own the libs.” That’s understandable. But already there are significant numbers of more liberal (or simply less wacky) now-former Tractor Supply customers out there sharing their disappointment and saying they’ll have nothing to do with them ever again.
I’m just sick over your statement. Without DEI efforts, young folks with disabilities like my son would never have a chance to learn the joy of horsemanship. Y’all are great sponsors of his programs at SaddleUp! DEI lets every kid know the joy of life ‘out here.’”
“Disappointed, Tractor Supply. Ag is made of all sorts of folks & I’ve found most farmers & ranchers to be good ppl who welcome all. This feels purposely hurtful & not customer service related. Rural America cares about voting, climate, & LGBTQ, it’s just that TSC doesn’t.”
“The CEO of Tractor Supply earns $30M per year & believes the issues harming rural Americans are ‘the blacks’ and ‘the gays.’ I’m a Marine Corps vet and won’t be shopping at TS or any other company that feels this free to be this bigoted towards Americans.”
On Facebook, journalist David Perry wrote:
Right now I'm sitting at my desk wearing a Tractor Supply Company hat. It's faded and stained. It smells like sweat and bugspray. I wear it when I'm fishing. When I'm working in the yard or the woods. When trying to fix my damn trolling motor that just isn't working. I wear it a lot. I shop at your store in Spooner WI and love it. I bought a new tire for my trailer there, a 2" towing ball, new straps for my boat, handtools, and more. I just used a trailer I bought at the store in Inver Grove Heights MN to haul a couple big tree sections from a neighbors so I can split them later.
I'm throwing the hat out. Your decision to abandon the environment, to abandon an equitable workplace to abandon the shared values of trying to make the world a better place, to surrender to bigoted elements trying to force us back, erode the ties that connect in favor of division and hate, means I cannot be a part of your community. We aren't the loudest of your customers. But you have more customers than you know, or had anyway, who believe in a better world. I wish you did too.
I hope you'll reverse course and decide that inclusion is better than bigotry. If you do, I'll be happy to buy a new hat.
Damn. Tractor Supply Company hats are about to become the new MAGA hats.
Congratulations, really, to Tractor Supply on stabbing itself in the foot with a pitchfork on this one. Surely, they know what they are doing by aligning themselves with the far-Right, because there’s definitely not a very foreseeable backlash to all of this anti-woke hysteria that will make this a deeply embarrassing thing to have done in a very short while!
PREVIOUSLY:
"Look, it's a business decision, not personal. We don't want to hate you, but we have to. For business. I hope you understand, and still give us your business."
I nominate Robyn as Wonkette's new Senior Tractor Correspondent.