In both 2022 and 2023, NLPC — as shareholder proposal sponsors — called upon the leadership of Home Depot to eliminate its woke, pro-ESG policies and to instead carry out its proper fiduciary duties. Instead the company has remained loyal to the agendas of leftist identity groups like the LGBTQ extremists at Human Rights Campaign, as FoxBusiness.com reported today:
Home Depot partnered with an LGBTQ program that provided elementary students with information on “pansexual” identities and being “nonbinary.”
In 2022, Home Depot announced one of its “Diversity Partnerships” was the Human Rights Campaign’s “Welcoming Schools” program, which is a program to educate students on transgender and LGBTQ terms. The Welcoming Schools program offers K-12 lesson plans and other LGBTQ resources on its website – which were available before Home Depot announced the partnership.
Home Depot announced in June 2022 the company was expanding its partnership with the Human Rights [Campaign].
“The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation works to make transformational change in the everyday lives of LGBTQ+ people,” Home Depot’s announcement said. “While The Home Depot has partnered with the HRC Foundation in the past to advance meaningful change, we’ve expanded our partnership to support multiple initiatives that align with key commitments around advancing education for all, specifically within diverse communities.”
The company claims it ended its partnership with HRC two years ago, but online activist Robby Starbuck had a rebuttal:
Home Depot is not being honest by calling their work with the HRC a 2 year old story, they put out a press release 2 years ago EXPANDING their relationship with the HRC. Did they think we missed that? If they’re smart then @HomeDepot will quickly end all woke policies, end ERG’s… https://t.co/g8WKMLhNqi pic.twitter.com/nF3AHw0Amm
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) August 28, 2024
He also called the company out for its overall DEI policies:
Home Depot’s woke policies are not only tied to the HRC’s woke ideology, they’re also knee deep in DEI. @HomeDepot’s leadership should be aware that I have these and a whole lot more so they can’t deny their DEI push.
We have more pressing matters right now but I hope to see… https://t.co/wWfSushPBB pic.twitter.com/4OBtIqzl2F
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) August 28, 2024
This year the company board of directors was criticized in our annual meeting presentation for their organized political support of a former colleague’s gubernatorial bid in Rhode Island.
Home Depot has had a disappointing couple of years earnings-wise, paralleling the Biden economy, and expects comparable sales to decline 3%-4% the rest of this year. Its DEI policies are certainly a drag on its reputation, and given the current environment and industry competition, could quickly become an anchor. Cut it loose!
