Walmart will roll back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is rolling back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

This puts it in line with several large companies that have reviewed their operational practices after facing significant pressure from conservatives.

No longer considering race and gender as a way to increase diversity when it offers supplier contracts is one example of the retailer’s reported rollbacks, according to the Associated Press.

The company said it did not currently have allowances and did not plan to go any further; however, it planned to stop collecting demographic data when determining funding eligibility for grants.

In a statement to ABC News, Walmart said: “Our purpose, to help people save money and live better, has been at our core since our founding 62 years ago and continues to guide us today. We can deliver on that , because we are willing to change with our employees and customers who represent all of America.”

“We’ve been on a journey and know we’re not perfect,” the statement continued, “but every decision comes from a place where we want to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to opportunity for all of our employees, customers and suppliers and to be a Walmart for everyone.”

Walmart will also “review subsidies for Pride events to ensure it is not financially supporting sexualized content directed at children,” the retail giant told the AP.

The changes also include Walmart’s significant third-party marketplace.

For example, these third-party retailers will no longer be able to list and sell “sexual and transgender products directed at minors,” the company said. An example is bras for young people who may use the products as part of their gender affirming care.

The world’s largest retailer confirmed the changes on Monday.

They were first announced in a post on X by conservative political commentator Robby Starbuck.

He said he had been in contact with the Arkansas-based company about a story he did about “vigilance” that turned into “productive conversations” — and ultimately led to reversals in Walmart’s approach to DEI.

Other changes Starbuck listed in his announcement included: discontinuing racial equity training through Racial Equity Instituteno longer participates in the human rights coalition Corporate Equity Index (a national benchmarking tool for LGBTQ individuals) and eliminating the use of Latinx (a gender-neutral word for anyone of Latin descent).

He also stated that Walmart will completely remove the use of the term “DEI”.

“This is the biggest victory yet for our movement to end vigilantism in corporate America,” wrote Starbuck, who has also gone after companies including Boeing, Lowe’s, Tractor Supply and Deere & Co.