SHRM has taken controversial stances on several issues in recent years. Now, in a move that’s angered many HR and DEI professionals, the organization announced it will welcome conservative extremist, conspiracy theorist, and anti-DEI, anti-LGBTQ+ activist Robby Starbuck to speak on the main stage of its inclusion conference, Blueprint, in October.
Catch up. SHRM hosted its first DEI conference nearly 30 years ago. Originally called the Workplace Diversity Conference, it was rebranded (again) in July to seemingly distance itself from its DEI roots, HR Brew previously reported.
DEI leaders have since shared their concerns about the rebrand online, including worries that SHRM is erasing the work that the conference was built on.
Now that Starbuck is set to take the main stage for a DEI debate with media personality and former political strategist Van Jones, many DEI practitioners feel that SHRM has lost the plot.
Who is this guy? Starbuck is a former movie producer who entered politics in 2022. After a failed run for Congress, he became a conservative influencer. He has publicly espoused misinformation about Covid-19 and the great replacement theory (which many scholars agree is a racist conspiracy theory), and believes that DEI is inherently discriminatory (however, DEI is legal, when programs are designed properly). He also regularly spreads hateful rhetoric about the LGBTQ+ community, has attacked the Human Rights Campaign and drag shows, and made a movie that uses misinformation to falsely claim that the LGBTQ+ movement grooms children.
Some of his anti-DEI campaigns have succeeded. Tractor Supply, Walmart, Nissan, McDonald’s, and Ford are among the corporations that he says he’s gotten to backtrack on DEI. “DEI is poison and we won’t rest until the public knows how companies have strayed from American values,” Starbuck posted on X last year.
Most recently, Meta named Starbuck as its AI advisor, after he sued the company for its AI chatbot, claiming it defamed him. He’s also a visiting fellow at the conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation.
Disappointed professionals. HR professionals from various industries took to LinkedIn to decry SHRM for giving Starbuck a platform on their stage, calling it just the latest in a pattern. Its CEO, Johnny C. Taylor, who chaired two advisory boards for President Trump during his first administration, announced the organization was removing “equity” from its DEI language last summer. SHRM had previously faced a discrimination lawsuit and other controversies.
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“If anything, I’d be interested to know why so many HR professionals still trust/follow SHRM,” Daniela Herrera, a workplace culture and DEI consultant, said on LinkedIn. “They’ve shown us who they are multiple times.”
There were more than 80 replies to HR Brew’s post about Starbuck speaking at Blueprint, and almost all disagreed with the move. DEI and HR professionals responded to say they don’t understand the point of the conversation, or why Starbuck has any authority to speak about DEI in the workplace. Starbuck has never worked in HR, compliance, or law, has never led a team, and is not an expert in civil rights laws.
“I struggle to see how this will result in productive discourse and not just frustration and finger-pointing. After SHRM already backed down from many of its DEI initiatives in the face of political pressure, this doesn’t seem like a positive shift in a good direction,” Chris Fitzpatrick, a talent development expert, commented.
For its part, SHRM claims it’s giving Starbuck this platform in the name of hearing both sides out.
“Viewpoint diversity is one of the major, but often under-discussed, dimensions of workplace diversity. At SHRM, we are committed to fostering inclusive, respectful dialogue by engaging a broad spectrum of perspectives—including those of Van Jones and Robby Starbuck—to reflect the diverse viewpoints that shape our nation and the world of work,” Taylor said in a written statement to HR Brew. “By convening leaders from across the political, cultural, and business spectrum, we aim to broaden understanding, spark innovation, and drive actionable solutions for an inclusive workplace.”
However, several professionals believe that this will not be an honest conversation over different opinions, and that the organization is platforming hate, noting that there were potentially other conservative voices SHRM could have invited that wouldn’t spread misinformation.
“You can’t platform an individual who is open[ly] hateful to minority groups and expect to retain any sort of legitimacy with reputable HR professionals,” one talent recruiter and social impact professional commented. “If any of his rhetoric was whispered in a corporate setting, he’d be under HR investigation.”