The DEI backlash continues to grow — Toyota is just the latest in a series of companies who are backing away from their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) stances. Are meetings following suit?
Some of the world’s largest corporations have retreated from their proactive diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, creating what some are calling a “DEI backlash.” Most recently, Toyota announced it was backing down its DEI initiatives, including ending its support for LGBTQ+ events. Instead, the company said it was focusing its sponsorship only on events and initiatives that are focused on STEM topics. The move came shortly after an anti-DEI activist took on the car company for, among other policies he described as “woke,” hosting LGBTQ+ events at corporate facilities and “a total commitment to DEI policies.”
Toyota is far from alone in pulling back on DEI as the term becomes increasingly politicized. Among the other companies that have rolled back their DEI commitments are First Tractor Supply and John Deere, Harley-Davidson, Brown-Foreman Corp., Ford and Molson-Coors.
Some associations also are rethinking their DEI stances. For example, the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) announced it was dropping the “equity” part of DEI from its diversity and inclusion program, citing research that indicates DEI is linked in many people’s minds to business polarization.
Standing Behind the Meaning of DEI
Even while corporate sponsorship for events that serve under-represented groups is pulling back, the importance of standing behind the meaning behind the acronym is growing on the event organizer side. More than half of the respondents to the 7th Annual State of the Meetings & Convention Industry study, conducted by Future Partners in collaboration with Miles Partnership and Digital Edge, said controversial issues made them reconsider destinations — almost two-thirds agreed with the statement, “A destination must align with our members’ values in order to host our meetings/events” — and more than half also said that they anticipate that DEI will continue to grow in importance in terms of both attendees and speakers in the future.
Part of the disconnect may be related to the term itself, which gained ground in the corporate world after the killing of George Floyd when companies took a stand against systemic racism and in support of social justice. While some companies extended the meaning of DEI to include women of all races, people with disabilities, neurodiverse people and the LGBTQ+ community, DEI in many minds applied mainly to people of color. That perception, and the DEI backlash, only grew when a U.S. Supreme Court ruling abolished affirmative action admissions in colleges in June 2023.
Since then, DEI has become shorthand for “woke” sensibilities — and became a political football for those who believe DEI policies give unfair advantages to some groups, mainly people of color, over others, and can have negative impacts on a business.
Companies, feeling the term has become too toxic to represent their intentions behind their DEI programs, are deciding to pull back on their initiatives, including sponsorship of events that serve the under-represented communities that fall under the DEI umbrella. This despite the fact that a December 2023 report, “Diversity Matters Even More: The Case for Holistic Impact,” by consulting firm McKinsey & Company found that the business case for DEI initiatives “is the strongest it has been since we’ve been tracking diversity.”
Perhaps it’s time for a new, less-laden name for the underlying concept? One term that appears to be gaining ground in the meetings, events and hospitality industries is “social inclusion.” Sheila Alexander-Reid, Executive Director of PHL Diversity with the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau says, “Diversity is a number. Equity is a practice, accessibility is a right, and belonging is a feeling. Each of these pieces are important, and they all are included in the social inclusion terminology. I’m OK with that, as long as we make sure we are still centering our efforts on people who have historically been left out.”
Destinations International (DI) is another proponent of rebranding the DEI concept as social inclusion. DI is holding its second Social Inclusion Summit later this month in Spokane, Wash., to help destinations create “intentional inclusion initiatives that that champion economic growth and community impact.”
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