4 companies facing backlash for pushing transgenderism, LGBT ideology on consumers

Starbucks

Earlier this month, Starbucks in India released an advertisement featuring Siya Malasi, a trans-identifying model. The advertisement shows a male who identifies as a female meeting with his parents for coffee. During the meeting, the mother begs her husband, “Don’t get angry this time, please.”

After the man rises and walks away, seemingly angry, it is later revealed that he left to order coffee. When the barista calls out the order, she says Aripita instead of Arpit, showing that the father has accepted his son’s new identity. 

“Your name defines who you are — whether it's Arpit or Arpita,” Starbucks India tweeted on May 9. “At Starbucks, we love and accept you for who you are. Because being yourself means everything to us. #ItStartsWithYourName.” 

Starbucks did not immediately respond to The Christian Post’s request for comment.

Several residents of India called for a boycott of Starbucks in response to the advertisement, The Washington Post reported. One user accused the coffee company of “imposing Western culture in India,” while another vowed to “never again” visit Starbucks. 

The Washington Post noted that India created a “third gender status” in 2014 and criminalized abuse against trans-identifying individuals in 2019, an action that trans activists did not believe was progressive enough.

According to the publication, the country’s Supreme Court is currently hearing a case about same-sex marriage, a case that the report speculated has led to a “wider discussion” about LGBT issues.