Harley-Davidson ditched DEI. The right is attacking it as ‘woke’ anyway

Far-right influencers launched what appeared to be a coordinated campaign to deride Harley-Davidson as “gay” and “woke.” Many of the attacks promoted the same competitor as a supposedly more "based" alternative.

Ironically, the latest round of criticism comes less than two years after Harley-Davidson abandoned its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives following pressure from far-right activist Robby Starbuck, who had branded the programs as “woke.”

Starbuck on Thursday posted what he claimed was new evidence that Harley-Davidson’s new CEO has a history of supporting DEI initiatives. But Starbuck appeared to be arriving late to a backlash that had already erupted across right-wing social media, where multiple influencers had begun targeting the company in near-unison.

As The Bulwark's Will Sommer noted, the sudden fixation on Harley-Davidson’s willingness to sell motorcycles to LGBTQ+ riders appeared to gain momentum after several influencers repeatedly highlighted the same alternative brand: Indian Motorcycle.

Related: Companies dropping DEI will face consequences — 80% of LGBTQ+ adults support boycotts: report

Most notably, mixed martial arts fighter Sean Strickland took a swipe at Harley-Davidson while promoting Indian as an apolitical alternative.

“Officially made the switch to Indian Motorcycle. What does Indian stand for? No f***ing clue, the way it should be,” Strickland posted on his 971,000 X followers. “Every time I got on my Harley I was indirectly supporting radical ideology that (is) actually pushing radical ideology on children. There is no going back from that.”

The Bulwark noted that Strickland also claimed he was ditching his Harley-Davidson motorcycles in 2024, but did not revisit the issue publicly until he began promoting Indian.

Days later, the account Gunther Eagleman, which boasts 1.7 million X followers, also posted about both brands.

“Why support a company that lectures you while their business collapses? Harley-Davidson chose woke over customers. Now they’re paying the price,” Eagleman wrote. “Buy Indian Motorcycle. Built by Americans for Americans who just want to ride free. No compromise.

Related: Major companies are ending DEI programs. Here's how an LGBTQ+ group is taking them to task

An account, which is affiliated with far-right commentator Jack Posobiec, called Jack Unheard, which reaches more than 208,000 followers on X, attacked Harley-Davidson’s support for LGBTQ+ organizations before pivoting to praise a specific competitor.

“This is so based. Harley Davidson has gone full woke. Here's a taste,” the Jack account posted. “Founding sponsor of the Wisconsin LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur Bootcamp. 'United for Ukraine,' they even sell a T-shirt. Everyone should dump their Harleys and ride bikes that are actually made in the United States. Indian Motorcycles is doing it right.”

A search of X shows dozens of right-wing and anti-LGBTQ+ accounts — many verified and monetized — pairing attacks on Harley-Davidson’s alleged “woke” policies with endorsements of Indian Motorcycle. Many highlighted Indian’s 125th anniversary or emphasized that the company manufactures its motorcycles in the United States.

Related: Jack Daniel's and Harley-Davidson drop DEI programs after conservatives whine

Indian did not respond to a request for comment from The Bulwark, but the company did post a video the same day as Strickland’s post of the professional athlete on his new motorcycle.

“When the UFC Middleweight Champion says he's excited about a motorcycle, you know it's legit,” a social media post states.

Harley-Davidson issued its own statement about the sudden flood of posts, criticizing Starbuck by name.

"Harley-Davidson doesn't belong to Robby Starbuck. It doesn't belong to politicians. It doesn't belong to activists. It doesn't belong to influencers chasing clicks and engagement. It belongs to us, the riders,” the statement says.

“During the period Robby is talking about, virtually every major corporation in America was implementing similar policies. Whether you agreed with them or not, that was the reality of the business environment at the time. Public companies have a legal responsibility to protect shareholder interests. CEOs and executives answer to boards, investors, institutional shareholders, and market pressures. That's not a defense of every decision those companies made. It's simply reality.”