Trumps stance on DEI makes me want to DIE
+ Ashley Tisdale's child thought Zac Efron was her Dad after seeing him in High School Musical
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Angels!!! I’ve had the cutest weekend in the States!! I was in Santa Cruz with one side of my sweet sweet American family (Squish’s gf Soph’s family) and I had the BEST clam chowder and crab of my LIFE.
Then I got on the train to Sacramento to see my OTHER American family (my cousins) and we got insane Mexican food, insane subs, (lol if you think all I’ve been doing here is eating, you are CORRECT.) After a week in hotels and hanging out with techy people, it’s been so nice to get to hang out in cozy houses with cute dogs.
I also looooove the comic section of the newspapers here in America. Bring comics back 2025!!!
Anyway, we’re off to Big Sur at the end of the week for a road trip so let me know if you have any recs for me!!!!!
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Today’s Trumpdate: His stance on DEI makes me want to DIE
Let me get you up to date angels: Basically, when Trump returned to the White House, one of his first actions included starting to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts at the federal level.
Luce note: DEI programs are all about making it easier for people from different backgrounds, races, and genders to access things like education and jobs by breaking down barriers that hold them back.
The same day he took office, he signed an Executive Order called “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” and proceeded to put all federal DEI staff on paid leave and eventually laid them off.
In another executive order issued the day after he took office: “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” Trump doubled down on targeting DEI initiatives. This order wiped out a bunch of Executive Orders from the last 50 years that were created to boost diversity and fight discrimination, including some that expanded protections under the Equal Employment Opportunity Act.
Some notable companies that have now rolled back their DEI initiatives:
Target: “The retail giant announced it is discontinuing its DEI program, aligning with similar moves by other major corporations” (Reuters)
McDonald's: “The fast-food chain has rolled back some of its DEI policies following recent executive orders” (Forbes)
Ford Motor Company: “Ford has reduced its DEI initiatives, reflecting a broader trend among corporations” (fnlondon.com)
Meta): “The tech company has ended its DEI programs amid changing political and social climates” (Forbes)
Walmart: “The retail behemoth has curtailed its DEI efforts in response to recent executive directives” (Forbes)
Harley-Davidson: Dropped diversity spending goals, halted socially motivated employee training, and withdrew from the LGBTQ acceptance rating by the Human Rights Campaign. (Business Insider)
John Deere: Pulled back from cultural awareness events and abolished its pronoun policy. (Business Insider)
Tractor Supply: Scaled back DEI programs, eliminated diversity roles, withdrew from Pride sponsorship, and ended participation in the Human Rights Campaign. (Business Insider)
Polaris: Reduced DEI efforts, removed related mentions from web pages, and chose to avoid political discussions. (Business Insider)
Lowe’s: Stopped participating in DEI surveys by the Human Rights Campaign and merged employee resource groups into a single umbrella. (Business Insider)
Molson Coors: Scrapped supplier diversity quotas and shifted training focus away from DEI-based programs. (Business Insider)
Walmart: Ended several DEI initiatives, including discontinuing programs for minority-owned suppliers and winding down its Center for Racial Equity. (Business Insider)
Nissan: Rolled back DEI efforts, including stopping participation in third-party surveys with organizations focused on political activism. (Business Insider)
ALSO, according to AP News:
“Federal agencies have begun removing resources for underrepresented Americans from their webpages following President Donald Trump’s executive order cracking down on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.”
“Agencies also have been cancelling staff trainings and shuttering diversity offices to comply with the order from Trump, who has called for all DEI staff to be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off.”
Anyway, this sucks.
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Ashley Tisdale's child thought Zac Efron was her Dad after seeing him in High School Musical
First of all, did you know her daughter was called Jupiter?
Second of all, SHE THOUGHT ZAC EFRON WAS HER DAD (which, fair enough.) Here’s what she said on an episode of the Breaking Beauty Podcast after one of the hosts asked if her daughter had watched any of her mom’s projects yet.
“She has seen High School Musical,” Tisdale revealed. “I think about a year ago, maybe my husband showed her it,” she added of Christopher French, whom she wed in 2014. “I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ ” the actress remembered.
But Jupiter didn’t exactly understand what she was watching. “She thought Zac Efron was her dad,” Tisdale said. “I was like, ‘No, that’s not Daddy,’ ” Tisdale recalled with a laugh. “Just cause they have dark hair, it’s not Daddy.”
I was going to write about the ‘Cute Winter Boots’ trend but then Taylor Lorenz did it better
And no, this trend isn’t about buying a nice pair of winter boots - it’s about how young people are using algospeak to get around censorship on TikTok.
Here’s what
wrote in her Substack :“The phrase “cute winter boots” is not about footwear. It's a code phrase being used to discuss resistance to Trump and how to fight back against the draconian immigration policies his administration is enacting. Users talking about “cute winter boots” keeping people safe from "ice," are referencing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "Cute winter boots" is just the latest example of algospeak, coded phrases and words aimed at subverting algorithmic filters.”
Go and read the full piece, it’s super worth your time xxx
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Any intel on the companies that haven’t rolled back their DEI policies??? Looking for some good news 🙏🏼
He's only been in office a week and I'm tiiiiiiiired already. It just feels like the bullies win and get to go back to being bullies and I'm really struggling to not get apathetic about the way we're headed