Robby Starbuck opens many of his social media posts with some variation of the same idea: “Brace yourself.” In July, for instance, the 35-year-old conservative activist who has recently gained fame for demanding brands eliminate their DEI programs and change their “woke” workplace culture, opened a tweet with: “What you’re about to see may be the single craziest training video that I’ve ever seen.” It now has 1.7 million views.
That video was one of many blasting farm and lawn equipment-maker John Deere. It included a snippet of a company training video featuring a hypothetical employee who says she heard coworkers complaining about a trans woman colleague using the women’s bathroom. The question for trainees: Should the concerned employee report them for possible harassment? The correct answer: Yes. The video also explains why it’s wrong to out someone who is transgender or refer to someone’s assigned sex.
