Did Starbucks Ban LGBTQ Pride Decorations? Union And Company Disagree

Topline

As companies find themselves at the center of LGBTQ culture wars during Pride month, a Starbucks workers’ union tweeted allegations the historically LGBTQ-friendly company banned Pride decorations in stores, sparking outrage (and self-congratulatory reactions from the far right)—but also a firm denial from the company.

A Starbucks union claims stores have been banned frmo putting up Pride decorations. (Photo by Alexi … [+] Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Starbucks Workers United alleged the corporation banned Pride decorations in stores in the middle of Pride month in a tweet thread posted Tuesday.

The union alleges affected stores include union locations in which the company says it cannot make “unilateral changes” without bargaining.

Starbucks spokesperson Andrew Trull denied any policy regarding Pride decorations in stores had changed, calling the allegations “false information,” and reaffirmed its support for the LGBTQ community in a statement to Forbes.

Starbucks Workers United told Forbes workers in 21 states have been told they cannot put up Pride decorations, including in Oklahoma, where workers were allegedly told not to decorate for safety amid bomb threats made against Target, which has also come under fire for its Pride merchandise.

The union accused Starbucks of “taking a cue from Target,” which pulled some items from its Pride collection in response to right-wing outrage.

Starbucks has long been known as an LGBTQ-friendly company: It’s maintained a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, which considers treatment of and benefits for LGBTQ employees, since 2015, and has sponsored Pride festivals and donated to LGBTQ causes.

Chief Critics

Some employees have anonymously taken to social media to share experiences of Starbucks instructing their stores to remove Pride decorations. The Oklahoma City Starbucks Workers United tweeted Oklahoma City union stores were instructed to remove Pride flags from their stores. Starbucks Workers United posted a TikTok video allegedly depicting employees removing Pride decorations from a Wisconsin location. The union also tweeted a collage of posts and comments allegedly made by Starbucks employees who were instructed not to decorate for Pride.

Crucial Quote

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) accused Starbucks of alienating its customers who support equality. “Between this and your union-busting, good luck with your customer base. You don’t deserve us,” Pocan tweeted. Some users, including Starbucks Workers United, criticized the company for allegedly removing Pride decorations despite being “powered by many queer workers.”

Contra

Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk appeared to credit the right-wing backlash against companies who celebrate Pride month in a tweet to his 2.3 million followers. “Good! Keep the pressure on, folks,” Kirk tweeted. Popular conservative Twitter account End Wokeness, which tweets frequently about “woke” companies to its 1.2 million followers, also credited the conservative backlash: “This is what happens when you actually start fighting the culture war.” Social commentary YouTube channel The Quartering, which has 1.5 million subscribers, considered Starbucks the “wokest of the woke” in a YouTube video on Tuesday and credited its alleged pulling of Pride merch to people having had “enough of rainbow capitalism.”

Tangent

Starbucks attracted controversy several weeks ago over an advertisement it aired in India in which a father attempts to reconnect with his transgender daughter. The ad was called sweet and groundbreaking by some supporters, but it was criticized as “woke” by conservative commentators, including Ben Shapiro.

Key Background

A long and growing list of companies have faced the wrath of right-wing social media users in recent weeks. Bud Light infamously faced boycotts and a dip in sales after it sent transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney a customized can with her face on it, though the can was not for sale or available to the public. Some have compared Starbucks allegedly pulling Pride decorations to Target, which faced a boycott after some angered conservatives spread misinformation online that a tuck-friendly swimsuit for transgender women was sold for children, when it was only sold in adult sizes. Though this was debunked, outrage still grew over Target’s Pride collection, particularly because of designs made by British designer Abprallen who has previously designed clothes using Satanic imagery. The company announced it would remove some items from its Pride line, sparking outrage from LGBTQ groups and supporters, including Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), who accused Target of “selling out the LGBTQ+ community to extremists.”

Did Starbucks Ban LGBTQ Pride Decorations? Union And Company Disagree—Here’s What We Know.