Starbucks Slammed for Woke Pro-Transgender Ad

Starbucks Slammed for Woke Pro-Transgender Ad

By: Ellen Cans

Starbucks has joined the woke bandwagon, and is being criticizes for a pro-trans ad aired in India.

As reported by the NY Post, the controversial ad features trans Indian actress Siya in a scene, meeting up at the coffee house with her parents after years and after transitioning and changing his name from “Arpit” to the feminine “Arpita”.  In the two-minute video, the father is struggling to accept his child. The father gets up to order coffee, and soon the barista announces the drinks are ready for “Arpita,” indicating the father’s acceptance of her new identity.  The clip ends, with his telling his daughter, “For me, you are still my kid. Only a letter has been added to your name.”   Starbucks India also posted the ad on Twitter last week, adding the caption: “Your name defines who you are — whether it’s Arpit or Arpita. At Starbucks, we love and accept you for who you are. Because being yourself means everything to us.”

The clip, which has over 9 million views, garnered criticism with a flood of posts from conservatives slamming the company on social media, some even calling for a boycott.  “Starbucks facing a backlash in India after going full Bud Light. If saturating the market with a mediocre US coffee brand wasn’t bad enough, now they are bringingtheir woke corporate culture to the Sub-Continent,” political commentator Rukshan Fernando commented on Twitter.  Another agitated commentor said, “For me,it’s never again Starbucks.”  Yet another Twitter user wrote, “Go sell drinks to wokes in America and leave India.”

A spokesman for Starbucks told The NY Post that the ad was being received well overall in India, adding that this is not the coffee giant’s first attempt to brand itself as  “as a warm and inclusive place.”  The spokesman noted Starbucks’ “I Am” project, which helps trans employees with legal and psychological support and helps to change their names on birth certificates.  “At Starbucks, we unequivocally support the LGBTQIA2+ community as part of our global mission to nurture the limitless possibilities of human connection. Our campaign in India, #ItStartsWithYourName, shows how Tata Starbucks is committed to making people of all backgrounds and identities feel welcome, helping our communities and partners (employees) show up as their authentic selves every day,” Starbucks told The Post in an email statement.  “We will continue to use our voice to advocate for greater understanding on the importance of inclusion and diversity across the communities we serve around the world,”

Starbucks is far from the only company making waves with woke content of late.  In April, Bud Light similarly made the news when transgender social media star, Mulvaney, posted on Instagram, displaying a personalized Bud Light can the company sent her to celebrate “365 Days of Girlhood.”  Last week, Adidas launching its “Pride 2023” collection, by featuring male models wearing women’s swimsuits, calling it a “Pride Swimsuit”.  Per the Post, both those companies faced outrage on socialmedia, and suffered a declineto their stock prices.  Sports Illustrated also joined the woke agenda, by featuring transgender pop star Kim Petras on the cover of the magazine’s annual Swimsuit edition.