In a move that has surprised many, the international coffee shop juggernaut Starbucks has ordered some locations in the United States to remove their pro-LGTBQIA+ decorations and Pride paraphernalia and flags, drawing the ire of the staff at these affected locations.
On Tuesday morning, June 13th, Starbucks Workers United – an organization looking to help unionize baristas at Starbucks, or at least a union-esk work environment – issued a string of tweets sounding the alarm that corporate Starbucks was dropping the axe on some of these locations.
The group pointed out that Starbucks has traditionally been quite inclusive and progressive throughout the years, and many who work their shops are allied with the LGTBQIA+ community, and such a move is a slap in the face to them especially midway through Pride month.
BREAKING: In the middle of Pride Month, Starbucks BANS Pride decorations in stores across the United States.
For the last two weeks, Starbucks workers have taken to social media to report that the company is no longer allowing Pride decorations in-store. This seems to be the first year the publicly “pro-LGBTQ+” company has taken this kind of stance.
Taking a cue from Target, who bowed to anti-LGBTQ+ pressure and removed pride merchandise, corporate and district management are taking down the pride decorations that have become an annual tradition in stores.
In union stores, where Starbucks claims they are unable to make “unilateral changes” without bargaining, the company took down Pride decorations and flags anyway – ignoring their own anti-union talking point.
Starbucks is powered by many queer workers, but management has failed to materially support the LGBTQ+ community. Last October, some workers have reported that their transgender benefit plan changed, causing them to pay out of pocket fees and lose access to certain providers.
If Starbucks was a true ally, they would stand up for us, especially during a time when LGBTQ+ people are under attack. A company that cares wouldn’t turn their back on the LGBTQ+ community to protect their already astronomically high profits.
True allyship with the LGBTQ+ community is negotiating a union contract that legally locks-in our benefits, our freedom of expression, and ways to hold management accountable.
The group’s frustrations were echoed and confirmed by outlet New Republic who ran a headline titled, “Starbucks to Take Down All Pride Decorations in Disgusting Cave to Far-Right,” but later changed the headline after Starbucks responded.
Nevertheless, the publication embedded a few examples of Starbucks workers taking to social media to document them being forced to remove their Pride décor:
A petition to change this ruling from corporate command has already been issued, created by LGTB Rights, written to Brigitte Herbert, Director of Regional Operations at Starbucks. The petition (in part) reads:
Upper management has told us we are NO LONGER ALLOWED to put up Pride decorations. The company needs to reverse its decision to disallow Pride and holiday decorations inside stores.
In a time where LGBT+ rights, transgender rights especially, are under attack, it’s important that both customers and partners feel supported and welcomed. Partners and customers alike LOVE to come in and see a fun and positive environment with fun decorations.
Why is the company backing away from supporting its LGBT partners? What is there to gain from making every store depressingly identical, with no personality?
While Starbucks insists that Corporate policy has not changed, and that this is ‘false information’ the rule is still being enforced at a regional level in many stores.
Corporate Starbucks has been quick to respond and claim this is not the case and have not directed locations to take down Pride decorations.
Starbucks spokesperson Andrew Trull said in a statement:
We unwaveringly support the LGBTQIA2+ community.
There has been no change to any policy on this matter and we continue to encourage our store leaders to celebrate with their communities including for U.S. Pride month in June.
[The company is] deeply concerned by false information that is being spread especially as it relates to our inclusive store environments, our company culture, and the benefits we offer our partners. Trull said
The outlet Them obtained an internal document sent to all Starbucks locations that read similarly to Trull’s response. But Starbucks Workers United issued a press release last night claiming Starbucks’ response was “a clear continuation of Starbucks’ anti-union campaign to intimidate workers and make them feel unwelcome in their own workplace.”
‘Starbucks Workers United told The New Republic that workers at a store in Massachusetts were told they couldn’t decorate because there weren’t enough “labor hours” to decorate and run the store. Some employees were told decorating was a safety concern: in Georgia, workers were told it was unsafe to be on ladders to hang a Pride flag. In Oklahoma, workers were told Pride décor was considered unsafe because of recent attacks on Target,’ The New Republic wrote.
Apparently this posture to clear Starbucks locations of Pride paraphernalia began last year following Pride month.
We were told that upper management wanted every Starbucks store to have an identical, homogenous look. The trans pride flag didn’t fit that image.
When a corporation attempts to remove all personality from their stores to increase profits, demoralize employees, and discourage unionization, it’s no surprise that pride decorations get removed as well. No personal queer expression is uniform or sterile enough for a corporation.
Neha Cremin, a partner at an Oklahoma City Starbucks, said in a statement, that this began last year following the conclusion of Pride month
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.
Proverbs 16:8
Big business knows the Bible better than they’d care to admit!
The Pride pomp is bad for business. Companies were already on shaking grounds before with this, but now a growing number of Americans are finally growing fed up with this nonsense, kickstarted by the Bud Light debacle in April, and then expanded to things like Target, Kohls, North Face, Cracker Barrel, Hasbro, etc.
I’ve been avoiding Starbucks for a long time. Not only has this company been a major purveyor of this wickedness, the coffee (if you can even call it that), tastes like crap and is severely overpriced, and is full of an insane amount of sugar and chemicals. Americans are drug addicted to bad coffee, having to get their multiple daily fixes from an effeminate goof in a green apron dawning a pagan mermaid idol.
This move to save face changes nothing.
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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According to Starbucks Corporate, this claim is false. They say they have banned no stores from displaying LGBTQMOUSE items.
THERE STILL IS HOPE FOR A FREE AMERICA