<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/levis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Levi Strauss</a> CEO Chip Bergh doubled down on the clothing company’s efforts to slowly expand a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gender-neutral</a> collection when pressed about controversy recently garnered by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bud-light" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bud Light</a>.
Bergh was asked by Axios senior business reporter Hope King at a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVsYLhSglPQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">conference</a> in San Francisco about the firm’s efforts to market products in a world where individuals are “more aware of their gender identities,” a reality which King noted corresponds with growing consumer frustration with perceived corporate social activism such as the marketing partnership between Bud Light and social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The executive replied that Levi’s is responding to demand for clothing which conforms to neither male nor female identities.
“We actually have a gender-neutral line. It was a small collection,” Bergh told King. “And we know that women buy some men’s product and men buy some women’s product. We know that goes on, we’ve got the market research and the data to show it, and that’s great. We are kind of building out slowly, starting with a very small collection of gender-neutral or gender-fluid lines and there is definitely consumer appetite for that, and we’re there for that.”
Levi’s indeed has a landing <a href="https://www.levi.com/US/en_US/blog/article/the-levis-guide-to-unisex-style" target="_blank" rel="noopener">page</a> that markets to consumers whose “self-expression isn’t just about what you wear” and offers a variety of products “regardless of gender.” An advertisement on the site features one model with long hair and a beard wearing a flowing denim jacket dress, as well as another who feels “a lot more freedom” when wearing masculine items.
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“It started when I was really young out of a need to feel special. I realized that as a man, we didn’t have all that women had to play with, so I decided that I would,” the first model said. “I think in general, queer people are very attached to imagery because they&#8217;re ways we found to feel included and to differentiate ourselves,” added the second.
Levi’s also unveiled efforts to celebrate “pride” ahead of the month-long festival observed by adherents of the LGBTQ movement. The firm <a href="https://www.levi.com/US/en_US/lgbt-pride-collection/c/levi_clothing_pride_us" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sells</a> a handful of rainbow-themed jeans, short sleeve shirts, jean jackets, boxer briefs, tank tops, and a see-through “radical love” dress.
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The efforts from Levi’s come as several <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/major-bank-downgrades-anheuser-buschs-stock-status-as-sales-continue-to-crater" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> indicate that Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, has hemorrhaged sales after the brand partnered with Mulvaney, a man who claims to be a woman and chronicled his purported gender transition on social media. Executives for the beverage firm have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anheuser-busch-ceo-breaks-long-silence-amid-dylan-mulvaney-pr-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offered</a> vague apologies, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/one-single-can-anheuser-busch-sends-letter-to-minimize-disastrous-mulvaney-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">downplayed</a> the extent of the campaign, and even <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bud-light-parent-company-taps-lobbyists-to-win-back-conservatives-upset-over-dylan-mulvaney-partnership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hired</a> veteran Republican lobbyists in various attempts to win back disgruntled conservatives who formerly consumed the beer.
The superficial attempts to back away from Mulvaney have now earned the company additional <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/left-wing-activists-furious-at-bud-light-for-backing-away-from-mulvaney-call-for-a-boycott-of-their-own" target="_blank" rel="noopener">backlash</a> from the opposite end of the political spectrum: angered members of the LGBTQ movement are demanding that Anheuser-Busch affirm their full-throated support for the ideology or face a second boycott effort.
Levi’s is not the only clothing company to offer “pride” collections. Target recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-releases-latest-pride-collection-complete-with-kids-books-and-rainbow-items-for-babies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unveiled</a> new products with LGBTQ themes, including several pieces of apparel meant for kids and babies, as well as children’s books that advance the tenets of transgender activism.

Levi Strauss

Popular Clothing Brand CEO Expresses Support For Expanding ‘Gender-Neutral Line’

Bud Light

Business

Levi's

LGBTQ

Social Issues

Transgender

Ousted Levi&#8217;s executive <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/levis-pushed-her-out-when-she-spoke-up-against-covid-madness-but-jennifer-sey-isnt-done-talking-part-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jennifer Sey</a> ripped the &#8220;Left&#8217;s betrayal&#8221; of their ostensible values as &#8220;shocking and upsetting.&#8221;
After more than 20 years at Levi Strauss &amp; Co., the well-liked liberal executive was on track to become CEO of the multi-billion-dollar corporation &#8212; but her refusal to shut up about COVID madness, specifically the policies of school lockdowns, led to her ouster.
&#8220;I will say that the Left’s betrayal of what I thought were core principles – free speech, right to an education, right to bodily autonomy, equal treatment under the law, due process – has been shocking and upsetting,&#8221; the “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Levis-Unbuttoned-Woke-Took-Voice/dp/1958682241/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2J10UL2DS4PJN&amp;keywords=Jennifer+sey&amp;qid=1667250452&amp;qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjAxIiwicXNhIjoiMS44OCIsInFzcCI6IjEuODkifQ%3D%3D&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=jennifer+sey%2Cstripbooks%2C85&amp;sr=1-1">Levi’s Unbuttoned: The Woke Mob Took My Job But Gave Me My Voice</a>” author told The Daily Wire in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/levis-pushed-her-out-when-she-spoke-up-against-covid-madness-but-jennifer-sey-isnt-done-talking-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two</a>&#8211;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/levis-pushed-her-out-when-she-spoke-up-against-covid-madness-but-jennifer-sey-isnt-done-talking-part-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">part</a> exclusive interview over the weekend.
An early opponent of lockdown policy, Sey explained that she found her &#8220;main cohort&#8221; at the beginning of her activism &#8220;to be angry moms across the country, fighting for normalcy for their kids &#8212; they were from all political backgrounds.&#8221;
Asked about the political Right, Sey, though not a conservative herself, applauded a willingness to engage and genuine tolerance.
&#8220;My experience has been that the right-wing media has been willing to engage with me and to respect my outspokenness, despite the fact that they know we might disagree on other issues,&#8221; she said. 
&#8220;I’ve found the people I’ve gotten to know on the Right – friends now &#8211; to be tolerant and accepting of my views that differ from theirs,&#8221; Sey continued. &#8220;They don’t assume that if we disagree on some things, that makes me a terrible person. I’ve had intense and very interesting conversations on the issue of abortion/choice, for instance. Always respectful.&#8221;
&#8220;While, what I have gotten from the Left, including friends and former colleagues has been: you’re racist, anti-trans, fat-phobic, anti-everything,&#8221; the author said. &#8220;Oh, and a liar and a grifter and a fascist &#8212; all because of open-schools advocacy, and thinking it’s cruel and ineffective to mask toddlers.&#8221; 
&#8220;Ultimately, I’m willing to talk to almost anyone who is willing to discuss these issues – how children have been harmed and what we are going to do about it; the illiberalism taking over America’s institutions – namely censorship and lack of due process; the general denial of reality, like how it was always obvious school closures and lockdowns were harmful,&#8221; Sey added. 
As for her politics now, Sey identifies as &#8220;unaffiliated,&#8221; a person who&#8217;s &#8220;in favor of communication, compromise and common sense&#8221; and &#8220;for individual rights and liberties.&#8221;
&#8220;I’ll vote based on supporting kids/families, and sanity,&#8221; the former exec told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Lockdowns were insanity, and authoritarian. Talk about a threat to democracy. It’s governors assuming emergency powers and locking down citizens – telling us we can’t leave our homes, while they do whatever they want – that scares me. And mayors mandating vaccines to participate in society. I won’t vote for anyone who even vaguely supports that.&#8221; 
To access the full interview, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/levis-pushed-her-out-when-she-spoke-up-against-covid-madness-but-jennifer-sey-isnt-done-talking-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part One</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/levis-pushed-her-out-when-she-spoke-up-against-covid-madness-but-jennifer-sey-isnt-done-talking-part-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part Two</a>, become a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe-plus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DailyWire+ member here</a>.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/levis-pushed-her-out-when-she-spoke-up-against-covid-madness-but-jennifer-sey-isnt-done-talking-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Levi’s Pushed Her Out When She Spoke Up Against COVID Madness, But Jennifer Sey Isn’t Done Talking (Part 1)</a>

Cannes Lions Festival 2018: Day 4

Top Levi’s Exec Ousted Over Anti-Lockdown Speech Rips The ‘Left’s Betrayal’

Top Levi’s Exec Jennifer Sey, Ousted Over Anti-Lockdown Activism, Rips The ‘Left’s Betrayal’

Free Speech

U.S.

Jennifer Sey was on track to become CEO of multi-billion-dollar corporation Levi Strauss &amp; Co., until she refused to shut up about COVID madness.
The well-liked liberal executive was pushed out at Levi’s in February 2022, after her vetting for CEO was derailed by social media posts and activism pushing back against school closures and mask policies for children.
Sey spoke to The Daily Wire about the ouster and more in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/levis-pushed-her-out-when-she-spoke-up-against-covid-madness-but-jennifer-sey-isnt-done-talking-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part One</a> of our interview. In Part Two, the business woman and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Levis-Unbuttoned-Woke-Took-Voice/dp/1958682241/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2J10UL2DS4PJN&amp;keywords=Jennifer+sey&amp;qid=1667250452&amp;qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjAxIiwicXNhIjoiMS44OCIsInFzcCI6IjEuODkifQ%3D%3D&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=jennifer+sey%2Cstripbooks%2C85&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">author</a> opens up about her politics and discusses the aftermath of the disastrous COVID policies she fought against.
Here&#8217;s Part Two (emphasis added):
DW: Some Left-wing officials are now denying they had anything to do with prolonged  school closures, such as <a href="https://fee.org/articles/fauci-claims-he-had-nothing-to-do-with-school-closures-his-own-statements-suggest-otherwise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Anthony Fauci</a> and <a href="https://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/news/michigan-school-closures-went-beyond-three-months" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer</a>. We also had <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/cnn-jake-tapper-hit-wondering-wasnt-national-conversation-school-closures" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN’s Jake Tapper</a> last week say he was surprised we haven&#8217;t had a &#8220;national conversation&#8221; about the damage done to kids by closing schools. Who did help shutter our schools and what do you make of this denial?
SEY: Governors shut down the schools. By March 25, 2020, all U.S. public school buildings were closed – every single one, even in South Dakota and Florida. So although we never had a national lockdown in America, we did have what amounted to a national school shutdown in the spring of 2020.
Then, in the fall of 2020, public schools in red states, and private schools everywhere, mostly opened up, while public schools in blue states and school districts, by and large, remained closed. The direct responsibility for this devastating additional year of missed school lies with national, state, and local leaders of the Democratic Party.
Ultimately, however, the person who is most responsible for the extended closure of America’s schools is Anthony Fauci. He was both the face and the voice of America’s covid response from the beginning. If he had wanted the public schools to be open, they would have opened. Fauci wanted schools closed. He stoked fears about children being both disease vectors and at significant risk themselves, rather than allay fears. And he was obeyed by everyone at the beginning, and then he was obeyed mostly only by Democrats.
Claims by left-wing government and health officials, including Fauci, that they are not responsible for school shutdowns are lies. But everyone now wants to distance themselves from this catastrophic policy choice, so they’re all pretending that they didn’t do it and had no role in it. 
Despite the strenuous objections, and sometimes active resistance, of the Democrats, Governor Ron DeSantis forced Florida’s schools to open in the fall of 2020. But now, Florida’s Democratic candidate for governor, Charlie Crist, has gone so far as to accuse Governor DeSantis of doing a terrible thing by CLOSING schools earlier that year. The fact that no one is willing to take responsibility for closed schools is proof of how catastrophically wrong the policy was. 
Many parents, including myself, tried for two years to have a national conversation about the damage that would be caused by prolonged school closures. But journalists, education leaders, and public health officials furthered the narrative that anyone challenging school closures was a racist and wanted teachers to die. The threat of being called a racist – which was ostracizing and potentially even reason for dismissal from one’s job – kept many silent. This silencing of dissent created a kind of manufactured consensus. And now, given the unfolding catastrophe, everyone wants to distance themselves from the horrible decisions that were made. And they pretend that the coercion and silencing never happened.
It’s beyond maddening. Especially for those of who risked a great deal to speak out. I’d like an apology, but I’m not holding my breath. 
<div id="attachment_457893" style="width: 394px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-457893" class="wp-image-457893 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-384x576.jpg" alt="" width="384" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-384x576.jpg 384w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-1360x2040.jpg 1360w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/11/seyspring2022-0562-2-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="(max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" />Courtesy of Jennifer Sey</div>
DW: Do you think these people will ever be held responsible?
SEY: No. Short answer. No. In some instances, at the local level, they will be. They’ll be voted out. In San Francisco, three members of the board of education were recalled. But I don’t believe there will be a national consensus or a hearing of any kind that holds the key decision makers accountable. 
DW: Do you at all feel vindicated now that we see all the damage lockdowns have done, primarily to children?
SEY: In a sense, sure. But even now, the sense of vindication is pretty limited. One: the kids were harmed. We open-schools parents actually failed to influence sufficiently, to get schools open in a reasonable amount of time. We were up against a machine that was pretty crushing, we tried, but it didn’t happen.
Two: Even now, there is a huge percentage of people who say, “it was all necessary, millions of lives were saved” – a completely unprovable, and, in fact, factually incorrect statement. But oft-said, nonetheless. 
Three: Even for those willing to acknowledge that the extended school closures were not necessary and produced grave educational and mental health impacts, the sentiment is often: “Government and health officials meant well and did the best they could in difficult circumstances.” 
So, not feeling so vindicated. But I was right. And I do believe that how right I was will become more and more apparent over time. But it won’t change the fact that I lost my job or that children were harmed. So my feelings of vindication will always be somewhat muted. 
DW: You were an early opponent of lockdown policy. What was the first thing that made you skeptical of our collective reaction? Was there anything in “the science” or recommended policy that first oriented you toward skepticism?
SEY: The data was available early on that the risk was significantly age stratified — median age of death coming out of Italy was in the 80s; and early data also suggested that the infection fatality rate overall was on par with flu for anyone under 70, and even less than that for children. So it always seemed like shutting down the world was inefficient at best. Extremely harmful in terms of adverse impacts, at worst. 
Outside of school closures, which caused enormous harm to children globally, you can’t shut down the world’s economy and think there won’t be horrific adverse consequences &#8212; which, of course, we are now seeing with inflation, businesses going under, supply chain interruptions etc. These impacts are not “just economic” for many around the world. They affect mental health, access to food and medicine, ability to provide for one’s family, life expectancy and more. But the lockdown lovers from the beginning shouted “all you care about is money!” at those of us who said the harms would be consequential. Their self-righteous egocentricity is enraging.
DW: When you did start to speak out, it seems the Right quickly embraced you. How did that feel, as someone who leans Left politically? 
SEY: I started very early, March 2020. No one at Levi’s noticed for a time. Nor did anyone on the Right, really. It wasn’t until March 2021, going on (Fox News Host Laura) Ingraham(&#8216;s show), that anyone REALLY noticed. But the Right didn’t fully embrace me until after I resigned, in February 2022, which was 2 years after I started. My main cohort until then seemed to be angry moms across the country, fighting for normalcy for their kids. They were from all political backgrounds.
As far as how it feels, my experience has been that the right-wing media has been willing to engage with me and to respect my outspokenness, despite the fact that they know we might disagree on other issues. 
I’ve found the people I’ve gotten to know on the Right – friends now &#8211; to be tolerant and accepting of my views that differ from theirs. They don’t assume that if we disagree on some things, that makes me a terrible person. I’ve had intense and very interesting conversations on the issue of abortion/choice, for instance. Always respectful. While, what I have gotten from the Left, including friends and former colleagues has been: you’re racist, anti-trans, fat-phobic, anti-everything. Oh, and a liar and a grifter and a fascist. All because of open-schools advocacy. And thinking it’s cruel and ineffective to mask toddlers. 
Ultimately, I’m willing to talk to almost anyone who is willing to discuss these issues – how children have been harmed and what we are going to do about it; the illiberalism taking over America’s institutions – namely censorship and lack of due process; the general denial of reality, like how it was always obvious school closures and lockdowns were harmful.
I will say that the Left’s betrayal of what I thought were core principles – free speech, right to an education, right to bodily autonomy, equal treatment under the law, due process – has been shocking and upsetting.
DW: How would you describe your politics, now? 
SEY: Unaffiliated. In favor of communication, compromise and common sense. For individual rights and liberties. I’ll vote based on supporting kids/families, and sanity. Lockdowns were insanity. And authoritarian. Talk about a threat to democracy. It’s governors assuming emergency powers and locking down citizens – telling us we can’t leave our homes, while they do whatever they want – that scares me. And mayors mandating vaccines to participate in society. I won’t vote for anyone who even vaguely supports that. 
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/levis-pushed-her-out-when-she-spoke-up-against-covid-madness-but-jennifer-sey-isnt-done-talking-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Levi’s Pushed Her Out When She Spoke Up Against COVID Madness, But Jennifer Sey Isn’t Done Talking (Part 1)</a>

Jennifer Sey

Levi’s Pushed Her Out When She Spoke Up Against COVID Madness, But Jennifer Sey Isn’t Done Talking (Part 2)

Cancel Culture

Readers Pass

Jennifer Sey was a leading candidate to head multi-billion-dollar corporation Levi Strauss &amp; Co., until she veered outside the acceptable Left-wing narrative on COVID policies and refused to shut up.
The well-liked liberal executive was pushed out at Levi’s in February 2022, after her vetting for CEO was derailed by social media posts and activism pushing back against school closures and mask policies for children.
Though Sey never ran into a problem with her employer for speaking out online about liberal causes or politics, the executive was encouraged numerous times to, effectively, shut-up about her views on lockdowns.
When the mother-of-four was told that she had no place at Levi&#8217;s, the company reportedly wanted Sey to stay on until they found her replacement, and to accept an exit package that included a non-disclosure agreement. She refused and left the company in February.
Now, with the release of her new book just around the corner, &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Levis-Unbuttoned-Woke-Took-Voice/dp/1958682241/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2J10UL2DS4PJN&amp;keywords=Jennifer+sey&amp;qid=1667250452&amp;qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjAxIiwicXNhIjoiMS44OCIsInFzcCI6IjEuODkifQ%3D%3D&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=jennifer+sey%2Cstripbooks%2C85&amp;sr=1-1">Levi&#8217;s Unbuttoned: The Woke Mob Took My Job But Gave Me My Voice</a>&#8221; (November 15, 2022), Sey isn&#8217;t about to slow down.
The Daily Wire spoke to Sey about the saga at Levi’s, COVID accountability, corporate hypocrisy, and where she now aligns politically. 
Here’s Part One:
DW: Was it something specific you posted or did that first got the attention of Levi’s? 
SEY: There was nothing specific for the first year. I was very tempered. I opposed playground closures and school closures. Levi’s didn’t like that because it went against the Democratic Party and the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom. They first started “talking to me” about it in September 2020. I’d been posting about it since March, but it must have taken a while for anyone to notice.
My “talking to” happened just as the kids of all the other Levi’s executives were returning to private school (the private schools opened in San Francisco in Fall 2020, while public schools stayed closed for a full additional year). The hypocrisy and selfishness here are staggering. It was basically them saying to me: “You can’t advocate for the very thing that my children have!”
But when I went on (Fox News’) “Ingraham Angle” with Laura Ingraham in March 2021, it really sent everyone over the edge. I’d consorted with the “enemy” and that made me the enemy. From then on, I was considered a racist, age-ist, anti-gay, anti-trans, fat-phobic, anti-everything. I was evil because I spoke with Ingraham. That was a real turning point in terms of the vitriol directed at me from employees.
Another turning point was this <a href="https://twitter.com/Leftylockdowns1/status/1419498792454434816?s=20&amp;t=H_7TwykG1nErPBs5UHUHcQ">tweet</a> posted by a friend of mine, civil liberties attorney, Jenin Younes. The photo was taken at my house. Our support for (Florida Gov. Ron) Desantis — someone none of us can vote for because none of us live in Florida, so meant as a bit of a joke (like oh isn’t it funny all these former lefties support DeSantis) — was in reference to his opening of schools and limited lockdowns overall. This tweet got the attention of the Twitter mob and was often used to cite me being “anti-LGBTQ” while tagging my employer. So, this caused some trouble for me as well.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Former Democrats for Desantis ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/DanielKotzin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@danielkotzin</a>⁩ ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/boutros555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@boutros555</a>⁩ ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/JenniferSey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JenniferSey</a>⁩ <a href="https://t.co/xwM70eXNUa">pic.twitter.com/xwM70eXNUa</a>
&mdash; Jenin Younes (former handle @leftylockdowns1) (@JeninYounesEsq) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeninYounesEsq/status/1419498792454434816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Lastly, I posted articles about the governor recall election in California in the fall of 2021. Without specifically citing my support for the recall, it was pretty clear I did not support (Gov. Gavin) Newsom. 
(DW: Sey noted she was living in Denver, Colorado, at this point and, of course, barred from voting in the California recall election.)
SEY: The head of corporate communications asked me not to post about this at all because of <a href="https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/what-type-of-shareholders-own-the-most-number-of-levi-strauss-co.-nyse:levi-shares-2021-08">Haas family</a> (who are the majority shareholders of Levi Strauss &amp; Co.) connections to the governor. To me, this says all you need to know. At work, the real issue: I went against the Democratic party. It really was discrimination based on political viewpoint.
<div id="attachment_457714" style="width: 393px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-457714" class="wp-image-457714 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/seyspring2022-0792-383x576.jpg" alt="Jennifer Sey" width="383" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/seyspring2022-0792-383x576.jpg 383w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/seyspring2022-0792-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/seyspring2022-0792-768x1154.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/seyspring2022-0792-1022x1536.jpg 1022w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/seyspring2022-0792-1362x2048.jpg 1362w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/seyspring2022-0792-1360x2040.jpg 1360w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/seyspring2022-0792-scaled.jpg 1703w" sizes="(max-width: 383px) 100vw, 383px" />Courtesy of Jennifer Sey</div>
DW: Did you at all get the sense that people supportive of lockdowns were immune to the repercussions of such policies? 
SEY: Yes. They absolutely were. They could easily stay home, work from home, their jobs weren’t at risk, they could order Uber eats, watch Netflix, get their kids a learning pod or better yet, send them to private school. Their world continued and it was just fine. And they felt very morally superior for being lockdown enthusiasts and having working class people bring food to the door.
Wealthy people cheering lockdowns and, even worse, asserting moral superiority in doing so, are the least empathetic, least “progressive” type of people I can fathom. They don’t care about “equality” despite the “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/this-house-we-believe-yard-sign/s?k=in+this+house+we+believe+yard+sign">in this house we believe</a>…” signs in their windows. They are selfish and entitled and they insist that they are virtuous altruists while aggressively pursuing their own perceived interests. This is what turned me away from the Democrats. The hypocrisy is so glaring and so grotesque. I can’t align myself with it. 
<h2>&#8220;This is what turned me away from the Democrats. The hypocrisy is so glaring and so grotesque. I can’t align myself with it.&#8221;</h2>
DW: Did you ever expect Levi’s to defend you, after decades with the company? 
SEY: I don’t know. I suppose a part of me expected a bit of “You don’t have to agree with her, but she has a right to say it.” I was really well-liked. I’d been there close to 23 years. I was kind of the embodiment of the whole company ethos/vibe. The CEO called me a “culture carrier,” meaning I furthered the culture of the company. But a part of me always knew I was doomed from the start. The San Francisco bubble is hard to explain. EVERYONE seemed to believe that the only morally defensible position was to stay home all the time, and that only a very bad person would believe otherwise.
DW: Do you think you would have been named CEO if you had shut up about COVID policy? 
SEY: I think if I’d shut up about it early enough, yes. There was a point where it was too late. Screen-grabs live forever, and they would have concluded that I was too controversial. What’s more, they would have found me too un-constrainable — I wasn’t following orders. But if I’d stopped in September 2020, when I was first asked to, yes I think I would have been the next CEO. I was very qualified, I was a well-respected and well-liked leader, I’d delivered strong results over many years, and they would have loved to name a woman and someone who came up through the company ranks.
DW: Did you ever post anything political on social media before COVID? Were there ever any repercussions for that? 
SEY: Yes I was always pretty active on social media. I didn’t have many followers. But I didn’t shy away from politics. No one ever cared or commented or nudged me in any direction. Politically, most of what I said aligned with “their” politics. If anything, I was further to the Left. But still within the acceptable confines of the Democratic party.
DW: Since leaving Levi’s, we’ve seen “woke” corporations paying for their employees to have abortions. What do you make of this? 
SEY: I feel like this is a virtue signal. They’ve announced they will do so. But are they? How many people are really availing themselves of this service? For companies in California, like Levi’s, that offer healthcare benefits, this was covered before. It’s not a change. It’s a virtue signal. At Levi’s, based in San Francisco, abortion is legal and part of women’s medical care costs, therefore covered by insurance. They have a relatively small number of employees in Texas. An even smaller number are women of child-bearing age. An even smaller number are women who are pregnant who do not wish to be. 
So, announcing this to the world – that the company will pay for their abortions – is a giant virtue signal. It’s signaling we are “progressives.” I doubt anyone has availed themselves of this “service,” though of course I don’t know that for sure. I don’t agree with a popular refrain on the Right that companies do it so women don’t need to take maternity leave. I think it’s all to signal “wokeness” and to signal “we support women.” But do you? You pushed me out the door for using my voice and standing up for kids. Do you really support women? Or do you just want people to think you do?

Levi’s Pushed Her Out When She Spoke Up Against COVID Madness, But Jennifer Sey Isn’t Done Talking (Part 1)

Levi's Pushed Her Out When She Spoke Up Against COVID Madness, But Jennifer Sey Isn't Done Talking

Levi Strauss and Co. is the latest corporation to announce that it will reimburse travel expenses for some employees who receive abortions.
Levi&#8217;s, as the popular jeans company is commonly known, announced on Wednesday that &#8220;business leaders need to make their voices heard and act to protect the health and well-being of our employees. That means protecting reproductive rights.&#8221;
&#8220;Under our current benefits plan, Levi Strauss &amp; Co. employees are eligible for reimbursement for healthcare-related travel expenses for services not available in their home state, including those related to reproductive health care and abortion,&#8221; the company said in a press release.
The company also announced that it will soon extend that part of the benefits package to part-time workers, so they too can be reimbursed for getting an abortion.
The announcement came just days after Politico <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/5-key-takeaways-from-the-leaked-majority-opinion-draft-overruling-roe-v-wade">reported</a> on a leaked opinion draft from the Supreme Court of the United States that revealed the Supreme Court appears to be poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and send the issue of abortion back to the states.
Levi&#8217;s also claimed further that &#8220;restricting or criminalizing access will jeopardize that progress and disproportionately affect women of color, putting their well-being at risk and impeding diverse hiring pipelines. Women in some states would have fewer rights than women in others, and our country would be consigned to a more unjust and inequitable future.&#8221;
If Roe were overturned, abortion would still be legal in the U.S., but different states may have different restrictions.
The company also explained that changing abortion laws in the U.S. could cause difficulty for the company&#8217;s internal benefits package.
&#8220;What’s more, companies would need different health policies for different locations – including coverage for time off and travel across state lines – to ensure employees can access reproductive health care,&#8221; Levi&#8217;s said.
The news comes as Amazon, the e-commerce giant, also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/subsidizing-the-abortion-industry-amazon-to-fund-abortion-tourism-for-its-employees">announced</a> that it would fund abortion tourism by paying up to $4,000 in travel expenses for employees who want to go out of state to get an abortion.
The announcement was made at a staff meeting on Monday, and includes a variety of medically related travel expenses as well as allowing abortions as qualified travel expenses.
In reaction to that story, American Principles Project President Terry Schilling <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/subsidizing-the-abortion-industry-amazon-to-fund-abortion-tourism-for-its-employees">told</a> The Daily Wire that he was not surprised by the move.
“It’s sadly no surprise to see Amazon assisting in efforts to circumvent pro-life laws,” he said. “After all, they have been doing the woke Left’s bidding for years — from banning conservative books on their platform to partnering with the notoriously partisan Southern Poverty Law Center to block donations to right-leaning groups, among other activities.”
“Conservatives by now should be thinking twice before doing business with Amazon, and at the very least, Republican leaders should stop providing any special benefits to a company that is clearly working against the interests of American families,” he added.
It should be noted that this isn&#8217;t the first time that Levi&#8217;s has waded into the culture war. In the past, the company has also <a href="https://www.levistrauss.com/2020/08/24/levi-strauss-foundation-supports-reproductive-justice/">bragged</a> about using The Levi Strauss Foundation to support pro-abortion causes around the globe.

Levi’s Jeans

Levi’s Will Reimburse Some Employees For Abortion-Related Travel Expenses

Levi Strauss Co. Will Include Abortion-Related Expenses In Benefits Package

Abortion

Roe v. Wade's Long And Brutal Legacy

Supreme Court

Jennifer Sey, former brand president for the U.S. clothing company Levi’s, quit her c-suite position and turned down a $1 million payout so she could continue to speak out against certain COVID-19 restrictions.
Sey, a former Olympic gymnast, announced her resignation on Monday in journalist Bari Weiss’ Substack <a href="https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/yesterday-i-was-levis-brand-president">newsletter</a> “Common Sense.” Sey said she was pushed out of her job by the company she had championed over her 23-year career because she refused to stop speaking out against school closures and other COVID-19 policies.
“Early on in the pandemic, I publicly questioned whether schools had to be shut down. This didn’t seem at all controversial to me. I felt—and still do—that the draconian policies would cause the most harm to those least at risk, and the burden would fall heaviest on disadvantaged kids in public schools, who need the safety and routine of school the most,” Sey wrote.
Her advocacy earned her accusations of being a “racist—a strange accusation given that I have two black sons—a eugenicist, and a QAnon conspiracy theorist,” she wrote. According to Sey, her outspoken activism, which could be found in columns, television appearances, and on her social media feeds, eventually earned her rebukes from her bosses, as well as Levi’s human resources and legal departments.
Sey said her treatment revealed what appeared to be a double-standard at the clothing company. “Meantime, colleagues posted nonstop about the need to oust Trump in the November election. I also shared my support for Elizabeth Warren in the Democratic primary and my great sadness about the racially instigated murders of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. No one at the company objected to any of that,” she wrote.
Sey said she continued to fight COVID-19 lockdown policies and eventually moved her family out of California to Denver so that her kindergartener could attend school in-person. The move allegedly precipitated her downfall in the company. She wrote:
<blockquote>National media picked up on our <a href="https://twitter.com/jennifersey/status/1365813860905537536?s=11">story</a>, and I was asked to go on Laura Ingraham’s show on Fox News. That appearance was the last straw. The comments from Levi’s employees picked up—about me being anti-science; about me being anti-fat (I’d retweeted a study showing a correlation between obesity and poor health outcomes); about me being anti-trans (I’d tweeted that we shouldn’t ditch Mother’s Day for Birthing People’s Day because it left out adoptive and step moms); and about me being racist, because San Francisco’s public school system was filled with black and brown kids, and, apparently, I didn’t care if they died. They also castigated me for my husband’s Covid views—as if I, as his wife, were responsible for the things he said on social media.
All this drama took place at our regular town halls—a companywide meeting I had looked forward to but now dreaded.</blockquote>
In a meeting with CEO Charles Bergh in the fall of 2021, Sey said that Bergh told her she was on track to become CEO of the clothing company. “The only thing standing in my way, he said, was me. All I had to do was stop talking about the school thing.”
Sey refused, opting to continue her activism. In a meeting earlier this year, Bergh spoke with her again and allegedly said that her presence at the company had grown “untenable.”
“I was offered a $1 million severance package, but I knew I’d have to sign a nondisclosure agreement about why I’d been pushed out. The money would be very nice. But I just can’t do it. Sorry, Levi’s,” Sey wrote.
“In my more than two decades at the company, I took my role as manager most seriously. I helped mentor and guide promising young employees who went on to become executives. In the end, no one stood with me. Not one person publicly said they agreed with me, or even that they didn’t agree with me, but supported my right to say what I believe anyway,” she concluded. “I like to think that many of my now-former colleagues know that this is wrong. I like to think that they stayed silent because they feared losing their standing at work or incurring the wrath of the mob. I hope, in time, they’ll acknowledge as much.”
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Levi’s Exec Shunned, Pushed Out Of Company Over Anti-Lockdown Activism, She Says

COVID

Lockdowns

The CEO of Levi&#8217;s <a href="http://www.wfmynews2.com/money/consumer/dont-bring-guns-to-our-stores-levis-ceo/360878899">issued an open letter</a> requesting that the store&#8217;s customers and employees avoid bringing guns into its stores, offices or facilities.
In the letter, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/open-letter-customers-our-weapons-policy-chip-bergh?trk=prof-post">posted</a> on Linkedin, Levi Strauss &amp; Co. President and CEO Chip Bergh cited a recent incident in which a customer was injured after his gun inadvertently went off. Bergh stated that Levi&#8217;s isn&#8217;t banning guns.
Bergh, a former army officer, wrote:
<blockquote>
The debate in the U.S. over gun safety and gun rights is as complex as it is divisive. As a former army officer, a father and business leader, I&#8217;ve heard the arguments from all sides. And, as CEO of a 163-year-old company whose products and presence rest at the intersection of culture and community in more than 110 countries around the world, I feel a tremendous responsibility to share our position on the issue, now, at a time when clarity is paramount. 
Providing a safe environment to work and shop is a top priority for us at Levi Strauss &amp; Co. That imperative is quickly challenged, however, when a weapon is carried into one of our stores. Recently, we had an incident in one of our stores where a gun inadvertently went off, injuring the customer who was carrying it.
So, while we understand the heartfelt and strongly-held opinions on both sides of the gun debate, it is with the safety and security of our employees and customers in mind that we respectfully ask people not to bring firearms into our stores, offices or facilities, even in states where it&#8217;s permitted by law. Of course, authorized members of law enforcement are an exception.
</blockquote>
Bergh added, &#8220;You shouldn&#8217;t have to be concerned about your safety while shopping for clothes or trying on a pair of jeans. Simply put, firearms don&#8217;t belong in either of those settings.&#8221;
There were some disgruntled customers after Bergh wrote his letter; one wrote, &#8220;You have, though, made it a lot easier for terrorists to recognize Levi stores as a soft target. Nice going.&#8221; Another penned, &#8220;My safety depends on my lawful carry of a firearm.&#8221;
Target Corp., Sonic and Chili&#8217;s <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-guncontrol-levi-strauss-idUSKBN13P2V9">have also requested</a> that customers refrain from bringing guns into their stores.

Levi’s CEO Wants Patrons To Leave Guns At Home

Guns

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