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Robby Starbuck

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Robby Starbuck
NationalityAmerican
OccupationMusic video director
Years active2008-present
Known forConservative political activism
Notable workThe War on Children (2024)
Children3[1]

Robby Starbuck is an American conservative activist and former music video director.[2] He ran in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Tennessee as a write-in candidate[3] and was unsuccessful. As an activist, he has campaigned against companies popular with conservatives because of their DEI initiatives.[4]

Career

Starbuck directed music videos and commercials in California before moving to Williamson County, Tennessee in 2019.[1] He transitioned to investing in real estate and the stock market.[1]

Starbuck said he had received pushback from being a Republican in Hollywood and began posting about his beliefs on social media in 2015.[1] During the COVID-19 pandemic, he campaigned against mask and vaccine mandates.[5][6] In 2021, Starbuck declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination to represent Tennessee's 5th congressional district.[7] The state Republican party removed him from the 2022 primary ballot, and this decision was ultimately upheld by the Tennessee Supreme Court.[7] Starbuck instead ran as a write-in candidate, but did not get the nomination.[1]

In June 2023, a photo agency issued a legal threat to Starbuck after he used a copyrighted paparazzi photo of Megan Fox and her family in a social media post accusing the actress of "child abuse" for having "forced" her children to "wear girls clothes".[8] Fox responded to Starbuck's post, saying "Exploiting my child's gender identity to gain attention in your political campaign has put you on the wrong side of the universe."[8]

In June 2024, Starbuck began campaigning on social media against companies popular with conservatives because of their DEI initiatives, support for LGBTQ+ events, climate change strategies, and other social policies.[5] Starbuck chose brands that implemented these programs in recent years and may be less likely to resist pressure.[5] His employees helped him research the companies’ policies and their executives’ backgrounds.[5] He focused on one company at a time, posting dozens of times over the course of weeks urging his followers to protest with their voices and wallets.[4] Tractor Supply was the first company to roll back their initiatives within that same month.[4][5] John Deere announced that it would no longer sponsor “social or cultural awareness” events and would audit all its training materials in July.[4][5] In August, Harley-Davidson, Brown-Forman, Lowe's, and Ford Motor Company rolled back several of their DEI initiatives and ended their respective relationships with Human Rights Campaign.[4][5][9] In September 2024, Molson Coors[10] and Caterpillar Inc.[11] did the same. In October 2024, Toyota did the same.[12]

The War on Children

Starbuck's documentary The War on Children, which aired on X (formerly Twitter) in February 2024,[13] opposes gender-affirming care.[6] The documentary contains interviews with Riley Gaines, Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok, and US Senator Rand Paul, among others.[13] The film's website states that it "exposes the WAR that's being waged on children today through gender ideology, ESG, CRT, sexualization of entertainment, sex trafficking, online exploitation, TikTok, Big Pharma and more".[14] The film opposes gender-affirming care[6] and promotes the conspiracy theory that toxic chemicals were responsible for causing children to identify as LGBTQ+.[15] News outlets have described the film as "anti-trans"[16][17] and "anti-LGBTQ+".[18]

In 2023, the filmmakers attempted to interview transgender activist Eli Erlick and Nebraska Senator Megan Hunt for the documentary.[19] After discovering that Starbuck was behind the film, Erlick posted warnings on her social media. Rolling Stone noted that LGBTQ+ community members and allies accused the filmmakers of having used deceptive practices in trying to gain their cooperation.[20] Drag queen Veronika Electronika told Rolling Stone she was misled into doing an interview for the film, and her conversation was heavily edited.[20] The filmmakers also invited drag queen activist Lil Miss Hot Mess to participate, but she withdrew after learning who they were.[20]

Elon Musk recommended the film.[21] Musk also previously promoted the trailer, which then received over 30 million views.[6] A group planned to screen the film at a movie theater in Vernon, British Columbia, but another local group lobbied the theater to cancel the screening due to concerns about the film harming marginalized people and potentially violating the Human Rights Code of British Columbia.[22][23] In Ottawa County, Michigan, a commissioner promoted the film during a public meeting,[24] which may have been against county policy.[25]

Personal life

Starbuck was raised by his mother and grandparents, who had fled Cuba in the 1960s.[1][4] He is married to Landon Starbuck, a musician who performed under the name of Matriarch. They have four children.[1][26]

Filmography

DVD music

Music videos

Documentaries

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Allison, Natalie (18 June 2021). "Robby Starbuck, a Franklin Republican, runs for Congress in Nashville with Rand Paul's endorsement". The Tennessean. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  2. ^ Ramirez, Nikki McCann (16 June 2023). "A New Documentary Is Courting Trans Voices. It Has a Big Right-Wing Secret". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  3. ^ Bartlett, Kerri (June 21, 2022). "Starbuck files as write-in candidate in 5th Congressional District primary". The Daily Herald.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Guynn, Jessica. "Inside Robby Starbuck's anti-DEI war on Tractor Supply, John Deere and Harley-Davidson". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Meyersohn, Nathaniel (28 August 2024). "The right-wing activist riding a wave of opposition to DEI in corporate America". CNN. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d Rogers, Taylor Nicole (September 4, 2024). "Robby Starbuck: the activist pushing US companies to ditch their DEI vows". Financial Times. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  7. ^ a b McCall, J. Holly; June 10, Tennessee Lookout. "Tennessee Supreme Court ends Starbuck's congressional bid • Tennessee Lookout". Tennessee Lookout.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b Clark, Meredith (14 June 2023). "Republican politician Robby Starbuck given legal warning over 'desperate' attack on Megan Fox's kids". The Independent. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  9. ^ Guynn, Jessica (29 August 2024). "Ford becomes latest high-profile American company to pump brakes on DEI". USA TODAY. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  10. ^ Styf, Jon (5 September 2024). "Molson Coors announces DEI changes in response to conservative activist". The Center Square. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  11. ^ Green, Jeff (19 September 2024). "Caterpillar Joins Ford, Lowe's in Diversity Rethink as Backlash Grows". Bloomberg. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  12. ^ Green, Jeff (3 October 2024). "Toyota Curbs DEI Policy After Activist Attack Over LGBTQ Support". Bloomberg. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  13. ^ a b Crimmins, Tricia (2024-02-08). "Failed pro-Trump congressional candidate, wife team up for anti-trans doc starring Libs of TikTok". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  14. ^ Witkos, Matt (2024-02-14). "Local leader displays film ad which director claims 'there's a war on our children right now'". FOX 17 West Michigan News (WXMI). Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  15. ^ Adamczeski, Ryan (August 1, 2024). "Who is Robby Starbuck? This is the anti-LGBTQ+ conspiracy theorist convincing companies to drop DEI". Advocate. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  16. ^ McCann Ramirez, Nikki (10 February 2024). "Emails Reveal How Anti-Trans Doc Tried To Dupe LGBTQ Allies Into Participating". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  17. ^ Crimmins, Tricia (8 February 2024). "Failed pro-Trump congressional candidate, wife team up for anti-trans doc starring Libs of TikTok". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  18. ^ Mitchell, Hillary (11 February 2024). "Drag queen accuses anti-LGBTQ+ documentary of 'tricking' her into taking part". Pink News. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  19. ^ McCann Ramirez, Nikki (16 June 2023). "A New Documentary is Courting Trans Voices. It Has a Big Right-Wing Secret". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  20. ^ a b c McCann Ramirez, Nikki (10 February 2024). "Emails Reveal How Anti-Trans Doc Tried to Dupe LGBTQ Allies into Participating". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  21. ^ Elon Musk [@elonmusk] (February 18, 2024). "Worth watching, especially for parents" (Tweet). Retrieved February 17, 2024 – via Twitter.
  22. ^ Shykora, Brendan (2024-06-12). "Vernon Cineplex draws criticism for screening anti-LGBTQ+ film during Pride Month". The Williams Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  23. ^ Michaels, Kathy (June 14, 2024). "Lawyers against Transphobia stops private film run in Vernon". Global News. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  24. ^ Gamble, Audra (2024-02-14). "Commissioner displays 'war on children' sign to protest pastor over LGBTQ+ support". MLive. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  25. ^ Tunison, John (2024-02-16). "Commissioner's 'war on children' sign violated county's new prayer policy, attorney says". MLive. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  26. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
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