(LifeSiteNews) — Starbucks locations across the country are removing LGBTQ “pride” decorations or keeping them in their storage boxes, according to employees, as a corporate spokesman has affirmed that the company has not changed its policy on the matter.
On Tuesday, the union Starbucks Workers United issued a statement listing reported instances across the U.S. in which Starbucks managers prohibited workers from putting up rainbow-colored “LGBTQ Pride” decorations, or actively took down such decor before the end of June.
“This is contrary to previous years when workers were allowed and even encouraged, to put up pride decorations without incident,” the union statement noted. “Despite Starbucks claiming that there has been no policy change, workers across the country are speaking out and proving otherwise.”
The union went on to list documented reports of “pride” decor removal, such as at a Madison, Wisconsin, Starbucks location where video was captured of the removal and posted to TikTok.
Employees at the State Street Starbucks and Capitol Square locations in downtown Madison confirmed to Milwaukee’s Journal Sentinel “that district and regional managers asked them to remove all Pride decorations from their stores.”
However, both locations said that they are able to continue selling “Starbucks branded Pride merchandise.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Starbucks told Fox News on Tuesday, “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.”
Starbucks spokesperson Andrew Trull told the New York Post on Wednesday, “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.”
Despite Starbucks’ official lack of policy change, video footage and testimony show a considerable number of middle management employees have decided against displaying LGBTQ “pride” paraphernalia.
One video recorded at a Columbus, Ohio, Starbucks location shows a woman return her Starbucks drink after a woman reported to be the district manager affirmed that she took town a “pride” flag.
According to Starbucks Workers United, varying reasons have been given by store or district managers for ditching “pride” displays.
“In Oklahoma, workers were told it was a safety reason because of the attacks that happened at Target stores and that it was a safety concern to block the windows with flags,” the union shared in its statement.
It is noteworthy that while attacks have not been reported at Target stores due to opposition to their LGBT “pride” merchandise, bomb threats were made after the chain removed such merchandise, with one email threat reading, “Target is full of… cowards who turned their back on the LGBT community and decided to cater to the homophobic right wing redneck bigots who protested and vandalized their store.”
In Maryland, employees were plainly told that “some didn’t feel represented by the ‘umbrella of pride’” and that stores needed to be consistent about their “pride” decorations.
The reasons given by Starbucks staff in Oklahoma suggest that Starbucks middle management have noted consumer backlash following Target’s sale of LGBTQ-themed products, including a “tuck friendly” swimsuit designed for gender-confused boys to hide their genitalia.
READ: ‘Boycott Target’ rap song hits number one on iTunes: ‘Let’s protest until they close’
Starbucks has documented its long and robust history of support for LGBTQ ideology, stretching back to its offering of full health benefits for homosexual partnerships in 1988 and including the corporation’s filing of an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case challenging the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013.
The Seattle-based coffeehouse chain maintains a strongly pro-LGBTQ position to this day, going so far as to cover “gender reassignment” surgery as well as a slew of other “transgender” procedures previously considered cosmetic, such as breast amputations, “facial feminization,” and more, as part of the company’s “health” benefits.