Kellogg’s has been accused of sexualising cereal boxes which celebrate Pride Month and running “illegal” diversity schemes.
America First Legal (AFL), a conservative non-profit organisation, claims that Kellogg’s hiring, training and promotion practices are “infused with woke ideology” that represent “illegal, race-based discrimination” and violate federal law.
The group, run by Stephen Miller who served as a senior advisor for policy under Donald Trump, has called a US anti-discrimination agency to investigate the cereal company over its workplace diversity policies.
On Wednesday, AFL filed a federal civil rights complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
America First Legal (AFL), a conservative non-profit organisation, claims that Kellogg’s hiring, training and promotion practices are 'infused with woke ideology' that represent 'illegal, race-based discrimination' and violate federal law
Reuters
Kellogg’s marketing campaigns have also been criticised, with the group saying the company had thrown out its “long-held family friendly marketing approach to politicise and sexualise its products”.
Examples include boxes of Cheez-It crackers featuring the drag queen RuPaul and cereal boxes celebrating LGBTQ Pride Month.
The company's iconic Tony the Tiger has also been condemned after the character posed for pictures with Dylan Mulvaney, the transgender influencer, at the Tony Awards in June.
If the EEOC finds that their employment practices amount to illegal discrimination, Kellogg's can be sued.
In the letter, AFL said Kellogg’s, for example, has said it wants to have “25 per cent under-represented talent at the management level” by 2025 and runs fellowship programmes that are only open to racial minorities.
“Kellogg’s employment practices are unlawfully based on ‘equity’, which is a euphemism for illegal discrimination,” Reed Rubenstein, a lawyer with the group, stated in the letter.
America First added that it had sent a letter to Kellogg’s board of directors threatening shareholder litigation if the company maintains the policies.
The conservative group has also targeted another large corporation this week.
On Tuesday, it sued Target Corp on behalf of an investor, saying the retailer failed to anticipate customer criticism over LGBTQ-themed merchandise that damaged its stock value.
The complaints are part of a campaign by conservative legal groups taking on so-called “woke” policies on social issues such as race, gender and diversity.
