What Corporate Rollbacks on LGBTQ+ Protections Mean for Us All

When a storm is brewing, the first sign isn’t always the thunder; sometimes, it’s the subtle shift in the wind. The same can be said of what’s happening right now with corporate inclusivity. Major companies, once keen to fly the Pride flag and tout their support for LGBTQ+ rights, are quietly retreating from their commitments. And while these changes might seem minor, they signal something far more dangerous: the potential erosion of rights and protections for LGBTQ+ people, particularly trans individuals.

I say this as someone with a non-binary gender identity – specifically, as a eunuch. While we are often overlooked in discussions about gender diversity, the implications of these rollbacks reach all of us. This isn’t just about the trans community. It’s about what happens when protections for one minority group are eroded, opening the door to further discrimination and persecution across the board.

Here in the UK, the political climate has become increasingly hostile towards trans people. From proposed rollbacks on gender recognition laws to government rhetoric that echoes reactionary talking points from across the Atlantic, the landscape is shifting. What we’re seeing in the corporate world, particularly in the US, is part of a much broader trend that threatens to reach us all.

A Sudden, Silent Shift

Since Trump’s return to power in the US, the political landscape there has shifted dramatically. Executive orders aimed at dismantling Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programmes – initiatives designed to ensure fair treatment and opportunities for marginalised groups – have had a chilling effect, leading many companies to reconsider their stance on LGBTQ+ protections. And reconsider they have.

Companies Retreating from LGBTQ+ Protections

• Google has been scaling back its DEI efforts, citing “sustainability concerns,” while simultaneously removing cultural events like Pride Month from its Calendar app.
• Meta (formerly Facebook) has significantly reduced support for internal LGBTQ+ employee resource groups.
• Walmart has dropped out of the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index and ended funding for racial equity initiatives.
• McDonald’s has halted participation in external workplace inclusion surveys.
• Amazon has rewritten its internal policies, removing explicit support for transgender employees.
• Deloitte has told U.S. employees to stop using gender pronouns in email signatures.

Each of these companies once presented themselves as beacons of inclusivity, happy to profit from Pride campaigns and diversity marketing. But when political pressure mounted, their supposed commitment to LGBTQ+ rights folded like a house of cards. This is why I call it perfidious – a betrayal of the very people these companies claimed to support. It suggests their inclusion efforts were always about profit, not conviction.

Why This Should Worry Everyone

This is bigger than just corporate policy. It’s about the normalisation of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment at a systemic level. When companies start rolling back protections, it emboldens lawmakers to push further. And history tells us that when one minority group is targeted, others will soon follow.

We’ve seen this before. Authoritarian regimes don’t begin by outlawing entire communities overnight; they start by making small, seemingly bureaucratic changes – removing rights here, restricting language there—until discrimination becomes institutionalised.

The LGBTQ+ community, particularly trans individuals, has become a convenient political target. But if this trajectory continues, it won’t stop there. Anyone who is ‘different’ – racial minorities, disabled people, religious minorities – should be paying close attention.

Here in the UK, the government has increasingly leaned into anti-trans rhetoric. There have been proposals to restrict access to gender-affirming healthcare, discussions of excluding trans people from single-sex spaces, and an overall rise in transphobic discourse in mainstream politics. It is not a stretch to say that the rollback of LGBTQ+ rights in the US will embolden similar actions here.

The Companies Holding Their Ground

Thankfully, not every business has succumbed to the pressure. Some are standing firm in their support of LGBTQ+ rights:

• Apple has resisted shareholder attempts to dismantle its DEI programmes, reaffirming its commitment to an inclusive workplace.
• Lexmark has continued to champion LGBTQ+ rights, earning the Human Rights Campaign’s Equality 100 Award.
• Match Group (owners of Tinder, Hinge, and OkCupid) have refused to remove diverse gender identity options from their platforms.
• Feeld, an inclusive dating app, remains dedicated to providing a safe space for all gender identities.
• Stonewall UK’s Top 100 Employers list still showcases companies dedicated to LGBTQ+ workplace protections.

These companies deserve recognition – not just for doing the right thing, but for understanding that diversity and inclusion are not just political buzzwords. They are commitments that, when upheld, create safer workplaces and stronger communities.

A Call to Awareness and Action

The current rollback of LGBTQ+ protections should be setting off alarm bells. We cannot afford to be complacent, assuming that these changes are isolated or insignificant. The truth is, when corporations make these kinds of shifts, they set a precedent. If the companies that once championed diversity are now abandoning it, it sends a message that LGBTQ+ rights are negotiable.

They are not.

If we allow this trend to continue unchecked, it will not stop with LGBTQ+ individuals. We must pay attention, call out hypocrisy, and support the businesses that are standing their ground. The first gusts of wind have arrived – whether we brace ourselves or allow the storm to take us is up to us.

References

• Google Removes Pride Month and Diversity Events From Calendar
• LGBTQ+ Rights Group Reports Progress at U.S. Companies Despite Conservative Backlash
• Apple Stands Firm Against DEI Backlash
• Which U.S. Companies Are Pulling Back on Diversity Initiatives?
• A List of Companies That Have Pulled Back on DEI, Including Google, Target, Walmart, and Meta