Toyota joined the growing list of companies that are dialing back their LGBTQ sponsorships and diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments following exposés from conservative activist Robby Starbuck.
The Japan-based car manufacturer told its 50,000 U.S. employees and 1,500 dealers on Thursday that it would “narrow our community activities to align with STEM education and workforce readiness,” Bloomberg reported. Starbuck revealed last week that Toyota was sponsoring pro-LGBTQ events, including a children’s LGBTQ summer camp.
A company spokesman told Bloomberg that following Starbuck’s exposé, the company received a few hundred queries from employees, questions from a “small population” of dealers, and around 30 calls from customers. The spokesman claimed that Starbuck’s revelations about Toyota were “negligible.”
“Huge news: Last week we exposed @Toyota + @Lexus…
