14. Starbucks Publicly Supported Same-Sex Marriage In Washington In 2012... And Faced A Boycott From America's National Organization For Marriage
In January 2012 Starbucks publicly came out in support of same-sex marriage in America (and Washington in particular), with a statement released that read:
"Starbucks is proud to join other leading North-West employers in support of Washington State legislation recognising marriage equality for same-sex couples. "Starbucks strives to create a company culture that puts our partners first, and our company has a lengthy history of leading and supporting policies that promote equality and inclusion."
In response to this, the National Organization for Marriage in the USA - who oppose same-sex marriage - launched a boycott, for which it received 22,000 signatures. Undeterred and unwilling to change their stance despite one shareholder blasting the company's position on the issue, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz released another statement, receiving 640,000 signatures of support too. It read:
"If you feel, respectfully, that you can get a higher return than the 38% you got last year, its a free country. "You can sell your shares of Starbucks and buy shares in another company. Thank you very much."
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
