Less than two weeks into the start of Pride Month and already the celebration has been met with its fair share of headlines. First, Cracker Barrel received both praise and criticism for embracing Pride Month, and now Starbucks has come under fire for allegedly banning decorations honoring the celebration.
News of the coffee shop no longer allowing decorations was shared earlier today in a series of tweets from Starbucks Workers United.
"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," one tweet read.
Mere hours after the tweets were published, a rep for Starbucks confirmed with Newsweek that the reports of the ban on Pride Month decor are false.
"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. We're 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," the spokesperson explained.
The rep then went on to highlight the company's decades-long support for the LGBTQIA2+ community.
Prior to this week's allegations, Starbucks announced a new partnership with Toronto-based artist and illustrator, Tim Singleton in honor of Pride Month. As part of the Starbucks Artist Collaboration Program, Singleton, who explained that a lot of his work "focuses on queerness," released a trio of vibrantly hued Starbucks cups and tumblers.
