• Starbucks is the latest company to face controversy surrounding Pride month.
  • Some Starbucks employees said they were asked to remove Pride flags and decor.
  • The company said it has not changed its policy on Pride decorations.

Starbucks faced an uproar this week after some of its workers claimed on social media that the company banned Pride Month decor in its stores.

Chaos and confusion ensued. The Starbucks workers’ union blasted the move on Twitter. But Starbucks denied changing any policies around Pride decor. And while some workers said they were asked to remove Pride decorations, others continued to decorate their stores with Pride-themed items.

“We unwaveringly support the LGBTQIA2+ community,” a Starbucks spokesperson told Insider. “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 US Pride Month in June.”

So what really happened?

According to interviews with eight Starbucks employees and a review of internal company messages, Starbucks stores took different approaches to Pride decor this year due to varied guidance from their district managers, who are given discretion over store decorations. Some Starbucks employees who spoke to Insider requested anonymity for fear of professional repercussions. Insider verified their identities and employment.

@sbworkersunited STARBUCKS IS BANNING PRIDE FLAGS ACROSS THE US. 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.  Taking a cue from Target, who bowed to anti-LGBTQ+ pressure and removed pride merchandise, corporate and district management are taking down the pride decorations that have become an annual tradition in stores.  In union stores, where Starbucks claims they are unable to make “unilateral changes” without bargaining, the company took down Pride decorations and flags anyway – ignoring their own anti-union talking point.  Starbucks is powered by many queer workers, but management has failed to materially support the LGBTQ+ community. Last October, some workers have reported that their transgender benefit plan changed, causing them to pay out of pocket fees and lose access to certain providers If Starbucks was a true ally, they would stand up for us, even during a time when LGBTQ+ people are under attack. A company that cares wouldn’t turn their back on the LGBTQ+ community to protect their already astronomically high profits. True allyship with the LGBTQ+ community is negotiating a union contract that legally locks-in our benefits, our freedom of expression, and ways to hold management accountable. #pride #pridemonth #rainbowcapitalism #shameonstarbucks #starbucks #starbuckssucks #prideflag #pridedecor #starbucksbarista #starbucksstore #targetlgbtq #starbuckslgbtq ♬ Makeba – Jain

The controversy highlights internal conflicts at Starbucks as the company grows and manages a tense union fight. It also illustrates how LGBTQ issues have become a lightning rod for companies like Target, which have received backlash for their products or promotions for Pride month.

“In stores across the country, Starbucks is refusing to let workers decorate for Pride and is also taking down Pride flags across the country,” a representative from Starbucks Workers United, the workers’ union, told Insider. “Our understanding is not that it has anything to do with the Starbucks logo, but that it is a part of Starbucks’ anti-union campaign against workers they’ve been waging for over a year and a half now.”

Starbucks employees said they got mixed messages about Pride decor

Some store employees told Insider they were given various rationales for changes in Pride decor at their stores.

“We were instructed not to hang any of our Pride flags by order of our district manager claiming it is a company-wide thing,” Damon Schnur, an employee in Ohio, told Insider.

An employee in Wisconsin said his district manager told him, “No store is allowed to have Pride decor anymore, as it doesn’t fit Starbucks’ current vision for appearance,” and “Pride flags aren’t welcoming to everyone and might be offensive.”

A Starbucks store manager in the Midwest said her district manager told her, “We are not allowed to have any decorations that are not Starbucks brand, period. Which included things like Pride flags.”

“This year, they told us we can’t decorate,” Alisha Humphrey, a Starbucks partner in Oklahoma City and Starbucks Workers United organizer, told Insider. While she said her district manager told her they couldn’t decorate, her store manager said they’d buy employees Starbucks-issued Pride t-shirts.“At first, I was wondering if they were pulling a Target. But if they’re buying us T-shirts, then I don’t think that’s the issue. It was very strange.”

Starbucks denied changing any policies around Pride decor. Foto: AP Photo / Elaine Thompson

Target removed Pride merchandise at some of its stores this year after backlash on social media and threats to its stores and employees.

“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 Starbucks representative said. “Starbucks has a history that includes more than four decades of recognizing and celebrating our diverse partners and customers — including year-round support for the LGBTQIA2+ community.”

Starbucks managers asked for ‘clarity’ on Pride decor

In the months leading up to June, some store managers asked the company for more clarity on Pride decor, according to screenshots of the company’s Workplace message boards.

Store managers specifically asked repeatedly for “consistency” around the decor policy.

Two weeks ago, one corporate employee wrote that flags could be displayed, while another wrote, “Please follow your market leader’s direction regarding store displays.”

In a response last week, a manager wrote: “I appreciate your response here, yet, it sort of contradicts another leader’s post above this. I think the different communication between leaders is part of the confusion.” He adds: “I think with charged topics, it would be helpful to have a company-wide direction that leads us with clarity.”

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