Macy’s is facing a new attack from conservative campaigners, with a federal complaint accusing the company of discriminating against “straight white men” as it tries to hire more women and minorities.
America First Legal (AFL), an activist group led by Stephen Miller, former White House adviser to Donald Trump, says it filed a federal civil rights complaint against Macy’s with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Tuesday.
Macy’s is already battling a separate furor over wokery — more than 40,000 people have signed a petition against the company featuring two non-binary Broadway stars in the upcoming Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Macy’s did not return DailyMail.com’s requests for comment.
Companies are known to be increasingly fearful of anti-woke backlash and boycotts from consumers and activists, which could cost them millions in lost sales and legal fees.
White men are struggling to get promoted thanks to Macy’s diversity goals, a complaint alleges
The company is also facing complaints about a “trans extravaganza” during the Thanksgiving Day Parade, which has kicked off the holiday since 1924.
John Zadrozny, a principal investigator for AFL, said he filed the complaint because Macy’s aggressive push for diversity among managers was destroying opportunities for white, male staffers.
John Zadrozny calls Macy’s hiring program ‘blatantly illegal’
“Macy’s has unfortunately joined a long list of legendary American companies that now prioritize racism over rights,” Zadrozny said in a statement.
“Macy’s own public materials all but acknowledge that they are engaging in personnel practices that violate federal law.”
The legal action group pointed to Macy’s 2019 documents and press releases showing that it has tried to hire and promote more Black, Hispanic, Native American and Asian American managers and directors.
The company aims to achieve “greater ethnic diversity by 2025 at senior director level and above, with a target of 30 percent,” company documents show.
This makes it harder for white men to get a job or build their career at Macy’s, AFL says.
Quotas for hiring minorities are “patently illegal,” the group added.
Macy’s must now explain itself to the EEOC, Zadrozny added, and “correct its unlawful and egregious conduct as quickly as possible.”
Like many U.S. companies, Macy’s, a department store chain with about 95,000 employees that also runs Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury, has embraced diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in recent years.
The complaint includes Macy’s documents detailing the extent of its own DEI arrangements
The documents include hiring targets for female and non-white directors, which could violate fairness rules
Supporters of DEI plans say they address long-standing racist and sexist discrimination in schools and workplaces, but critics say they ultimately fuel divisions between groups and marginalize white men.
DEI efforts have come under increased scrutiny since the Supreme Court ruled in June against race-conscious admissions programs at two universities, effectively banning affirmative action policies on U.S. campuses.
The court’s ruling did not include companies, many of which launched their own DEI schemes as part of a broader anti-racism push following the 2020 killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis.
Since the ruling, AFL and others have filed a barrage of lawsuits and complaints against private companies, saying their efforts to hire and promote more women and minorities amount to discrimination.
American Airlines, McDonald’s, Salesforce and Progressive Insurance are among those targeted.
Organizers now want people to boycott Macy’s, including its flagship store in Herald Square
Tens of thousands signed a petition against Macy’s ‘non-binary and transgender extravaganza’ on a national holiday
“Make no mistake: ‘equity’ and ‘DEI’ are euphemisms for racism, and AFL will not stand by while qualified Americans are denied jobs simply because they do not contribute to a company’s non-white workforce,” AFL said in a statement .
Some companies are believed to have scaled back their DEI programs, or at least reduced the publicity of their activities.
One Million Moms’ Monica Cole Says Her Macy’s Campaign Is ‘Gaining Traction’
Macy’s has already been in the spotlight by including two non-binary performers in its annual Thanksgiving Day parade of floats and balloons, which will delight crowds in New York City on Thursday.
By Wednesday morning, more than 40,000 people had signed the petition against the ‘non-binary and transgender extravaganza’, which is organized by the conservative One Million Moms group.
Macy’s has not commented directly on the campaign, which focuses on the appearance of gender non-conforming performers Justin David Sullivan and Alex Newell among the parade’s cast of thousands.
Sullivan, a trans non-binary singer who uses “he/she/them” pronouns, was scheduled to appear in the parade as a cast member of the Broadway musical & Juliet, in which he plays May, a non-binary character.
Newell is gender nonconforming and uses he/she/them pronouns. She appeared as Unique Adams on the hit teen show Glee and will appear in the parade as a cast member of Shucked.
Supporters of the campaign say they are tired of liberal corporations flaunting a “woke” agenda in their faces. Trans rights groups are lamenting that another conservative group is ‘launching an attack’ to rally people against LGBTQ+ rights.
One Million Moms told DailyMail.com that Macy’s was “pushing the gay agenda during prime time” and said a holiday tradition that had delighted audiences since 1924 was “no longer family friendly.”
The petition targets Justin David Sullivan, a trans non-binary singer
Also in the spotlight is Alex Newell, a biological male who presents as female and uses “all pronouns.”
Kim Petras was the first trans pop star to appear in the parade in 2021
The group is part of the American Family Association, which says it has been “on the front lines of America’s culture war” since its founding in 1977, through campaigns and boycotts.
The left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center calls them a “hate group” because of their “anti-gay” agenda.
Ties between trans performers and companies have been divisive in recent months. Bud Light’s collaboration with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney led to a backlash and a boycott that cost the beer maker millions.
According to Forbes, the department store chain earned $25.3 billion last year through its retail website and hundreds of stores, including its flagship store in Herald Square, New York City.
The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade has kicked off the holiday season since 1924, drawing more than 50 million television viewers as 3.5 million people line the 2.5-mile parade route through Manhattan.
The 2021 parade was the first to feature a transgender pop star, with German singer/songwriter Kim Petras performing her bubblegum song “I Don’t Want It At All.”