This past year, conservative gadfly and anti-woke warrior Robby Starbuck made headlines by exploiting waves of manufactured hostility to corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and advocacy on issues like LGBTQ rights, climate change, inclusive hiring practices, and other social policies.
His targets tend to be major brands popular with politically conservative customers. Despite popular support for many of these corporate policies, Starbuck’s vigilantism has rattled C-suites and resulted in several notable retreats on the DEI front.
It’s equally clear that Robby Starbuck has not yet faced off with the likes of Bob Crandall, the legendary former CEO of American Airlines. During his indelible 18 years at the helm of American, Crandall commanded universal respect, especially from the aviation marketplace that judged his performance. Thirty years ago, I witnessed firsthand Bob Crandall’s master class on how to successfully manage crises and to withstand unwelcome pressure from social critics.
In 1993, I began consulting with American Airlines to help update their internal policies, business strategy, and marketing practices to engage openly and successfully with LGBTQ consumers. I believed, along with American’s management, that it was past time for the airline leader to harness the visibly growing and profitable LGBTQ travel market. Under Crandall, American took smart, pioneering steps by promoting equitable employment benefits, recognizing its first LGBTQ employee resource group, sponsoring LGBTQ nonprofit causes, and fostering corporate America’s first dedicated LGBTQ marketing and sales team.
Anti-gay attacks
It’s no surprise American’s success also became a lightning rod. While its innovative business strategy became the envy of its competitors, its detractors were just as, or even more, vocal. In 1997, Florida’s anti-gay zealot Anita Bryant denounced American Airlines for its “immoral” benefits program, asking, “What are you going to develop next? A pedophilia market?”
Others piled on, including over a dozen conservative groups, from the Family Research Council to Concerned Women for America, who wrote a public letter condemning American’s corporate policies. This coalition purchased full-page ads in June 1997 in major U.S. newspapers claiming that American was promoting homosexuality. In March 1998, members of this coalition met with Crandall and his management in Dallas to make their case while his team listened.
Stunningly, the next day, the conservative leaders declared victory by issuing a news release with the headline: “American Airlines Pledges to Stop Promoting Homosexuality.” Reported the Conservative Women for America: “No longer will air travelers on American Airlines fear that a portion of their fares is funding activities that may be in direct conflict with their religious beliefs. We are so pleased that American has decided to stop endorsing this deadly behavior.”
Dismayed by their unfair set up, Bob Crandall objected vehemently to this crude and false public declaration feigning that American had surrendered. He insisted instead that the airline would remain free to decide its own business practices and not be subject to distorted and heavy-handed pressure from third parties.
Fighting back
That same evening, I received a phone call from Crandall and his public affairs team asking for advice in crafting an immediate, plainspoken, and unmistakable rebuttal. On March 25, 1998, Crandall approved a brief statement that American Airlines had made no such commitments to the groups. Further, he maintained that American Airlines would remain independent to focus on its own business objectives and that the carrier “must and will promote its services to all constituencies, and we will continue to treat every employee with dignity and respect.”
Crandall’s principled act put the lie to his company’s critics who overplayed their hand. He knew that trust is earned in drops but lost in buckets. From that time forward, as evidence shows, American’s standing, especially with its diverse workforce and loyal customer base, was strengthened and expanded. By 2000, not only had many major brands and airlines followed suit, but American became the first major airline to implement same-sex domestic partner benefits. The following year, American became the first airline to include gender identity and expression in its nondiscrimination practices.
During his CEO tenure, Crandall built American into the country's largest and arguably most respected airline. Interviewed a few years ago, he said, “I’m not afraid to say what needs to be said. You need to try to be polite. But being polite is different from avoiding the truth. I think that’s one of my strengths.”
In 2025, America’s core principles and our corporate values will need all the strength we can muster and safeguard all the trust we have earned. Decades ago, Crandall proved Thomas Jefferson’s long-held maxim: “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.”
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