Harley-Davidson Is Getting Hit With Another Anti-DEI Boycott Campaign

Robby Starbuck is coming for Harley-Davidson again.

Nearly two years after leading a social media campaign that pushed the motorcycle company to roll back its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, the conservative activist is relaunching his boycott effort — accusing the brand of quietly walking back the concessions it made in 2024.

"Harley-Davidson said they were dropping all these crazy woke policies I exposed," Starbuck said in a video posted to X. "I regret to inform you that unfortunately today I am going to have to expose them again."

The new campaign centers on Harley-Davidson's recent leadership hires. Starbuck took particular aim at Artie Starrs, who became CEO in October, pointing to Starrs' record at previous companies — including sponsoring a pride group and an LGBTQ+ golf tournament when he ran Topgolf, and launching antiracism training for educators during his time as CEO of Pizza Hut. Starbuck also called out the company's new chief brand officer, Marcus Fischer, a former ad agency CEO who he says encouraged more transgender representation in advertising.

"Is this seeming like the guy to turn around a brand that has a wokeness problem?" Starbuck asked in the video.

Harley-Davidson did not respond to requests for comment.

What Happened Last Time

In 2024, Starbuck ran a two-week social media campaign against the brand, citing issues including an LGBTQ+ boot camp the company hosted and its support for gay and transgender equality legislation. The company responded relatively quickly — putting out a statement saying it had not had a DEI department for months, did not use hiring quotas, and had stopped pursuing supplier diversity spending goals. It also pledged to drop out of the Human Rights Campaign's corporate equality index.

Starbuck is now saying those promises weren't kept — or that new leadership is reversing course through the back door. He told a reporter he has more material to release in the coming weeks.

The Trap Both Sides Set

The Harley-Davidson situation illustrates a bind that political science professor David Primo at the University of Rochester described pretty sharply. Companies that try to appease one side or another without a clear, consistent brand identity tend to become permanent targets — from whichever direction feels betrayed next.

Target went through the same cycle from the opposite direction. The retailer rolled back its DEI policies under pressure from the right, then faced significant backlash and boycotts from Black American consumers and progressive shoppers who saw it as a betrayal.

"Firms that try to placate activists on the left or the right without having a clear vision for their brand are doomed to become perennial targets," Primo said. "We saw it with Target from the left, and now we're seeing it with Harley-Davidson from the right."

Primo also noted the timing isn't random. Harley-Davidson has a new CEO trying to execute a turnaround. That makes the company both vulnerable and visible — exactly the conditions that invite this kind of campaign.

Starbuck framed his position simply. "At the end of the day, I'm a megaphone for consumers who feel left behind by brands chasing far-left brownie points. For Harley, that time is now. They don't deserve another chance."

Whether Harley's core customer base follows him there — or whether the brand can navigate the campaign without another public statement — is the question its new CEO probably didn't want to be answering this early in his tenure.

What This Really Boils Down To

It's worth stepping back for a second. Harley-Davidson isn't being targeted for something the company did yesterday — it's being targeted because it hired executives who supported LGBTQ+ causes at other companies years ago. The position being staked out is essentially that past support for inclusion is permanently disqualifying, full stop. That's a pretty wide net to cast.

Many Christians and conservatives would push back on that framing entirely — the faith tradition Starbuck's supporters often invoke is also the one that centers grace, dignity, and treating people well regardless of difference. There's a real conversation to be had about corporate activism and whether companies should wade into social issues at all. But demanding that businesses actively screen out leaders for having once been decent to gay or transgender people is a different thing entirely — and one that a lot of people across the political spectrum, including many believers, might find harder to defend than a boycott poster makes it look.

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