When you visit your local Starbucks this summer, you may notice your barista wearing a specially designed vibrant t-shirt in celebration of Pride.

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For the past 3 years ,the Starbucks Canada Pride Network, one of Starbucks oldest and largest partner networks, made up of hundreds of members of the LGBTQ2+ community and their allies, commissions a t-shirt design contest, giving partners (employees) the opportunity to design a t-shirt in celebration of Pride at Starbucks.

This year’s design was created by Starbucks partner Leigh-Anne from Nova Scotia. Leigh-Anne’s design was selected by the Starbucks Canada Pride committee which received over 100 creative submissions from across the country.

In addition to being a 4-year Starbucks partner, Leigh-Anne is an artist, designer and mom of three.

“Creativity is a passion of mine and I always love a t-shirt design challenge,” says Leigh-Anne who found inspiration for the design through the pandemic.

The design, titled "Pride, Far &amp; Wide", features colourful paper planes with a dash of Rewards Stars, surrounding a Starbucks cup.

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“I wanted to create a design that felt like a fun and colourful celebration of Pride, but still acknowledged the fact that we are in a pandemic, and last year most in person celebrations had to be cancelled. I came up with the idea of using the paper plane as a symbol of virtual connection, as it's a common icon used when sending an email or text message. It also represents the fact that most people have been isolated and only able to dream of travelling again someday to celebrate together,” Leigh-Anne says.

“Starbucks has managed to continually connect and uplift people through this past year even if it was simply through a virtual coffee date with friends and loved ones. I included a plane for every colour of the Pride rainbow and I think the design has a hopeful and playful spirit.”

When asked how it feels knowing that partners across the country will be wearing her design, Leigh-Anne says, "It's so exciting to see partners sharing pictures and videos on social media, celebrating Pride in my shirt design! My fellow partners here in Nova Scotia have been wearing the shirts to work and it is wild to see them in real life. I myself usually wear mostly black and grey, but I will be going out of my comfort zone this month to wear that bright orange T!”

On why it was important to take part in the contest, Leigh-Anne says “I would always want my fellow partners and my own kids to feel loved, accepted and valued for exactly who they are.”

As another motivation for entering the contest, Leigh-Anne described that the winning designer was able to select a local charity to receive a small donation. She’s selected a local youth organization in her hometown of Halifax that strives to make the province a happier, healthier and safer place for&nbsp;LGBTQ+ youth by providing support and resources.

Join us as we celebrate the LGBTQ2+ community, hear partners’ (employees) stories of connection and learn how to be an ally.

Starbucks Pride: How one Starbucks partner’s t-shirt design is connecting partners with “Pride, Far &amp; Wide” - Starbucks Canada

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Starbucks Pride: How one Starbucks partner’s t-shirt design is connecting partners with “Pride, Far &amp; Wide”

Starbucks Pride: How one Starbucks partner’s t-shirt design is connecting partners with “Pride, Far & Wide” - Starbucks Canada

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Starbucks Pride: How one Starbucks partner’s t-shirt design is connecting partners with “Pride, Far & Wide”

When Star joined Starbucks in 2013, they identified to others as a woman. However, deep within, they never quite felt like they fit into a specific gender.&nbsp; After searching more into their Indigenous culture, Star came out as two-spirit in 2015.

Star describes two-spirit as an Indigenous person with both spirits, male and female, in which they can flow in between.&nbsp;

Star’s path to discovering their two-spirit identity began several years ago and not only took deeper understanding of their Indigenous roots, but also a desire to set a strong example for their kids.

“I teach my children about inclusion by just being understanding and accepting. We don't really require anything, we just accept,” says Star. &nbsp;

Having kids as part of their family was always Star’s dream, but feeling the pressure of growing up in a society where they were taught the ‘right way’ to have a family was to get married, Star got married at a young age and started a family. Star realized early on that things didn’t feel right but found it difficult to share these feelings with others.

As time passed and Star became a parent to seven children, they thought seriously about the example they wanted to set for them.

This was the catalyst for Star opening up to discover more about themself. Through the journey, Star came out as pansexual. They felt that they loved their husband at the time, and it seemed like it made sense, but Star still didn’t feel quite right about it. Star later came out as lesbian, and that also didn’t feel right. As Star explored more about their Indigenous heritage, things became clear.

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“Learning about my two-spirited identity has helped me understand me. I've never felt quite like a woman or a man, I've always been just me, flowing in between”, says Star.

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Star believes there is still little knowledge and understanding of the two-spirit identity and describes coming out to people as challenging and complicated at times, both within and outside of the Indigenous community.&nbsp;

“Before colonialism and residential schools, two-spirited people were looked to as more powerful due to their ability to flow between the sexes and their ability to flow within the spirit world,” says Star.

Star regularly attends virtual meetups with other two-spirit people in their province to connect and learn more about Indigenous cultures, including the historical standing of two-spirit people in Indigenous communities.

“We were looked to as healers and visionaries, as we are able walk within the spirit world, and freely flow between our spirits,” Star continues. “Two-spirited people, who are warriors, hunters, gatherers and everything in-between, they have the ability to possess the gifts of both genders. We are truly the third/fourth gender.”

Learning more about their identity has helped Star build confidence. When Star joined Starbucks,&nbsp; they were shy and reserved, but after moving to their current store, and being surrounded by partners who support and accept them for who they are, they have been able to come out of their shell and build great connections with customers, and was even recently recognized as partner (employee) of the quarter in their district.

“We accept each other for who we are. We are truly our authentic selves, we embrace each other's uniqueness and quirks. Coming into my store is like coming home. Truly having a store where I can walk in and know that my coworkers have my back. If somebody mislabels me, my coworkers correct them.” When asked what they want people to learn from their story, Star says, “I hope that people learn to just respect and accept people for who they are, no matter where they came from. Because at the end of the day we never know what people are going through, so the number one thing is just be kind. Be real and true to yourself and that's all that matters.”

Starbucks Pride: Meet Star (they/them), the barista finding strength in discovering more about their Indigenous and two-spirit identities - Starbucks Canada

Starbucks Pride: Meet Star (they/them), the barista finding strength in discovering more about their Indigenous and two-spirit identities

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Starbucks barista, Tristan met his partner five years ago when they sang in the same choir.

His partner, Shannah, is a woman and he describes the start of their relationship as an “odd situation”.

Before they got together, Tristan identified as gay. Today, Tristan identifies as pansexual: he is attracted to people regardless of their sex or gender identity.

His journey to discovering his pansexual identity began when he was much younger. &nbsp;Tristan knew at a young age that he was attracted to men, but he worried about what that meant for his future as he struggled with religion and sexual identity.

“I was concerned and thought I wouldn’t have children and I wouldn’t be able to get married in the church that I grew up in. I always pictured a suburban home with a white picket fence, so that was my struggle coming out,” he says.&nbsp; He also worried about whether he would be accepted by his family and community, so growing up, he kept his identity to himself. &nbsp;

It wasn’t until he went to college in another city, where he met his then boyfriend, that he made the decision to come out to his family as gay. &nbsp;While he was nervous to share the news with his family , to his relief and surprise, his family accepted and supported him. &nbsp;The challenge was, Tristan still had questions about his own identity.

“When I came out as gay, I knew I was attracted to my boyfriend at the time, but in the back of my mind, I also knew that I was attracted to women. When I expressed this to some of my friends in the queer community, they didn’t understand.”

Some of Tristan’s friends in the community, suggested that his attraction to women was just a phase. Despite knowing that he was attracted to men and women, Tristan felt like he needed to identify one way or the other and so he felt it would be easier to live life as a gay man.

When Tristan met his current partner Shannah, it took time for her to fully understand his feelings and identity and it took time for his friends and family, too. &nbsp;&nbsp;

“I had to come out for a second time this time, but as pansexual,” he says. “In many ways it was harder coming out as pansexual to my friends and family than it was coming out as gay years earlier.”

After coming out for the second time, Tristan lost a couple of friends in the queer community, but he was fortunate to have the acceptance of many, including his family.

Through his journey to discovering his identity, Tristan realized that emotions and feelings can change. Discovering your identity can be a continuous process and things can change throughout your life. He also learned the importance of surrounding yourself with people who are accepting of you. He shared this advice for others who may be in the process of discovering their own identities: “I want people to know that it’s ok to love whoever you want to love and be whoever you want to be. Don’t let people judge or put you into a box.”

Starbucks Pride: Tristan (he/him) shares his journey to self discovery and acceptance - Starbucks Canada

Starbucks Pride: Tristan (he/him) shares his journey to self discovery and acceptance

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Growing up, Devon knew he didn’t fit into his assigned gender, so as a teenager, using public washrooms in his city was difficult to navigate. A friend told him that if he needed a washroom to look for a Starbucks because their washrooms were open, safe, and gender neutral. It was the only place he knew he could use the washroom in peace. &nbsp;&nbsp;

As an adult, Devon joined the company as a barista, and eight years later, he is still at Starbucks, now a store manager, and helping to create a sense of warmth, belonging and safety for trans partners and customers.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Devon transitioned during his time at Starbucks and describes it as a&nbsp;steady series of steps rather than a big event.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I gradually changed my name, my pronouns, and it was never a secret that I had been saving up for chest surgery for years. My whole life I'd presented as male as I possibly could. I mark starting hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as my 'transition'. This is the point where I physically started to change in ways that were obvious to anyone looking, and I dropped my tolerance for being addressed with female pronouns.”&nbsp;

Devon made the decision to share the news of his transition with his team at a store meeting not long after starting HRT.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I knew my team was amazing, and we already had trans people on staff. It wasn't going to be a surprise to anyone, but even going into a&nbsp;best-case&nbsp;scenario it still made me&nbsp;pretty nervous. The build up to putting myself out there was much worse than actually coming out.”&nbsp;

When Devon talked to his team about his transition, he had a twofold goal in mind. First, as a trans person, he wanted to be supported in ways that were meaningful to him, and second, as a leader, he wanted his team to be clear on what they could talk&nbsp;about&nbsp;and where they should set boundaries, not only for his benefit, but for the benefit of all trans partners.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“To me, this is how we were all going to be most comfortable. I let my partners know explicitly that they are welcome to disclose my transition to customers who are curious. They can correct my pronouns, especially with regulars, but did not need to take it upon themselves to correct every passing customer who just didn't know better. We also talked about when to end conversations.”&nbsp;

Devon believes that with more visibility comes more understanding, and he has chosen to be to open about his transition to help create safe and welcoming spaces for other trans people.&nbsp;

“I am very fortunate to have a life that allows me to be open about being a transgender person safely. That is still a luxury not afforded to many trans people. If I can make a choice to be visible, and that helps change even one person’s perspective on trans people for the better, I'm going to do it.”&nbsp;

Transphobia is still an everyday reality for many trans people, and there is much work to be done towards acceptance. One thing that has been helpful in supporting partners manage these encounters is Starbucks Third Place Policy, which was&nbsp;introduced in&nbsp;2018.&nbsp;Displayed&nbsp;in Starbucks stores across the&nbsp;country, the Starbucks Third Place Policy, is a set of&nbsp;clear principles that every person in the store will use the space as intended and communicate with respect&nbsp;and empowers partners to stand up against&nbsp;inappropriate behaviour.&nbsp;&nbsp;

““The Third Place Policy&nbsp;been big for partners because this is how we set boundaries and expectations.&nbsp;It gives autonomy to each barista to say no, this is not respectful behaviour, I need you to stop before we continue this transaction.”&nbsp;

Devon believes that Starbucks has laid a groundwork for creating safe environments for trans people, including respecting pronouns and gender identities explicitly in policies, resource pages with information by province, including trans scenarios in harassment training, the availability of branded pronoun pins, and Partner Networks to educate and celebrate LBGTQIA2+ identities.&nbsp;However, he adds that these things only make a difference if every leader applies and upholds them as standards on their team.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As someone who was unwilling to compromise on his identity, having a safe workplace where he is not at a disadvantage because of his gender expression and as a trans person was incredibly important, and he strives to create the same experience for others. &nbsp;Devon’s advice for leaders is to lean into uncomfortable conversations in team environments and to model behaviours of acceptance. &nbsp;&nbsp;

“When you are part of any marginalized group you are constantly assessing the environment around you for indications of safety and acceptance. Inappropriate jokes, turn of phrase, slang, can all be indicators of a less safe environment, and as a leader anything you don't call out, you endorse.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

He also wants leaders of trans partners to know that support can look different for every&nbsp;person, and&nbsp;being collaborative with the person will typically lend the best results. Education and awareness are so critical.&nbsp;

Devon’s first experience with Starbucks, using its gender neutral washrooms as a teenager, highlighted to him that Starbucks was more than just a coffee shop, and throughout his eight years at the company, he can now say that people in our communities come for coffee, washrooms, water, warmth, human connection and so much more.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Join us as we celebrate the LGBT2+ community, hear partners’ (employees) stories of connection and learn how to be an ally.

Starbucks Pride: Meet Devon (he/they), a store manager helping to create safe environments for trans partners and customers - Starbucks Canada

Starbucks Pride: Meet Devon (he/they), a store manager helping to create safe environments for trans partners and customers

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Take a look back at more than three decades of LGBTQ2+ support and advocacy at Starbucks

Len Larsen remembers when he first saw the pink flyer promoting the first Starbucks Pride partner (employee) event come through his store mail. It was 1996, and he was a store manager back when the company had just more than 1,000 stores.

“But we were starting to talk about 2,000 stores in the year 2000,” said Larsen, who is senior manager of Starbucks Business Ethics and Compliance at Starbucks Seattle headquarters.

The gathering was a small one, with 15 or so LGBTQ2+ partners from the company’s headquarters and nearby stores who met at a bar in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighbourhood. “Starbucks had always been very inclusive, but we realized that we needed to become more organized,” he said.

By the next year, they marched as a group for the first time in the Seattle Pride Parade and were helping rally partners to participate in AIDS walks and fundraisers. Regular social gatherings nicknamed “Beers and Queers” sprang up, and they began to invite employees from LGBTQ2+ groups at other companies like Boeing, Amazon and Microsoft.

The partner group, which officially became <a href="https://www.facebook.com/StarbucksPride/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Starbucks Pride Alliance Network</a> in 2007, has grown to include thousands of partners in chapters across the United States, Canada, and around the world. They have also become powerful advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community, and hope to do more in the years ahead both inside and outside the company.

“I never truly accepted and felt 100 per cent comfortable being gay and living my truth until I was hired at Starbucks and was embraced fully by my peers and leaders in the organization,” said Steven Snyder, a nine-year Starbucks partner and the chair of the Canada Pride Alliance.

“After nine years I feel like I’m still blossoming into who I am and prouder than ever to be a part of the LGBTQ2S+ community. Most of my journey to feeling comfortable with myself was accelerated by my involvement and leadership with the Pride Alliance Network, and I hope that our work within the network inspires others to live and celebrate themselves as openly as they want to be!”

Starbucks History of LGBTQ2+ Inclusion

Wearing Pride on their sleeves

The Canada Pride Alliance Network is one of Starbucks’ oldest and largest partner networks made up of hundreds of members of the LGBTQ2+ community and their allies. In 2019, they coordinated the first <a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2019/behind-the-green-apron-a-splash-of-pride-in-every-cup/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Craft Your Pride T-Shirt Contest</a> to foster a uniquely Canadian celebration of Pride and the inclusivity it represents.

Out of nearly 50 submissions, a design by Toronto partner Jenelle Lewis was chosen as the winner. Throughout the summer, more than 2,500 partners wore their Pride on their sleeves.

New and current partners can now choose to self-identify with the company as LGBTQ – similar to other identifications, such as disability, refugee, and veteran. The option was the result of efforts by the&nbsp;Pride Alliance&nbsp;partner network to create another way to build upon the company’s commitment to the inclusion and diversity of all partners.

Expanded benefits for growing families

Benefits eligible partners who choose to build their families through adoption, surrogacy, or intrauterine insemination (IUI) can be reimbursed up to $10,000 per child up to a lifetime maximum of $30,000 per partner. Previously, the Family Expansion Reimbursement program only applied to adoptions.

Two decades after Starbucks partners marched in its first Pride Parade in Seattle, hundreds of Starbucks Pride Alliance partners, friends and family join Pride events in&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/emea/stories/2018/hundreds-of-starbucks-partners-friends-and-family-join-the-pride-in-london/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">London</a>&nbsp;(above) and around the world.

Embracing self-expression

Starbucks Canada’s new dress code <a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2016/pink-and-purple-hair-starbucks-doesnt-care/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">celebrates individuality</a> and embraces the desire of baristas to express themselves. The new dress code includes any colour of hair dye, as well as a range of clothing colours and patterns. The changes allow more than 20,000 store partners (employees) the opportunity to show the real person behind the green apron; their unique style, personality and individual flair, which makes up the unique fabric of Starbucks.

The&nbsp;Starbucks Foundation&nbsp;contributes&nbsp;<a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/a-message-from-starbucks-regarding-the-tragedy-in-orlando" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$50,000 USD to the&nbsp;OneOrlando Fund</a>&nbsp;to help people and families impacted by the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla.

Calling for equal treatment

Starbucks joins with more than 200 other business leaders to urge equal treatment for the LGBTQ community. Lucy Helm, then-general counsel and now chief partner officer, shares a letter to partners underscoring&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://news.starbucks.com/views/starbucks-commitment-to-inclusion" target="_blank">Starbucks commitment to inclusion</a>. “From our very earliest days, we have strived to create a company and culture that treats everyone – partners and customers alike – with respect and dignity,” Helm wrote. “We will continue to champion these values and to stand for our partners, our customers and our communities.”

Starbucks earns 100 out of 100 for the first time on the <a href="https://assets2.hrc.org/files/documents/CEI-2015-rev.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2015 Corporate Equality Index (CEI)</a>, an initiative administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation on corporate policies and practices as&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2017/human-rights-campaign-recognizes-starbucks-as-top-employer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a top employer for LGBTQ workplace equality</a>.

In order to help partners in self-identification, Starbucks updates its technology systems to ensure that documentation in stores reflect a partner’s “known as” name or nickname that is consistent with their gender identity or expression. This is an especially meaningful move for transgender partners, who now see their preferred name each time they log in for a shift.

Seattle Police Department <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/safe-place-program-at-starbucks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Safe Place program</a>&nbsp;rolls out to Starbucks stores in Seattle, with special designation as secure places for victims of anti-LGBTQ-related crimes and harassment. More than 2,000 store partners receive SPD Safe Place training and window clings identify the 100 participating company-owned stores in the greater Seattle area.

The following year, the Safe Place Program was <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-police-safe-place-lgbtq-1.3701256" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">launched in B.C.</a> by the Vancouver Police Department. Starbucks was <a href="https://vancouver.ca/police/policeboard/agenda/2019/0221/1902V01-2018-Community-Engagement-Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">one of the participating businesses</a> in this initiative.

Applauding marriage equality

Marriage equality becomes the law of the land in the United States thanks to the&nbsp;<a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks-applauds-supreme-courts-ruling-on-marriage-equality" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling</a>. Earlier in the year, Starbucks had signed on to The People’s Brief in favour of the decision.

Starbucks&nbsp;<a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/for-the-first-time-starbucks-raises-the-pride-flag-atop-its-headquarters" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">flies the Pride flag atop its Seattle headquarters</a>&nbsp;for the first time. “Given our public stance on diversity and inclusion of all people, particularly on this issue, it makes sense to raise the flag in celebration,” said Lucy Helm, then-general counsel who is now chief partner officer for Starbucks. “Being open, inclusive and forward-thinking is at the core of what Starbucks is about.”

The Pride Alliance Network comes to Canada

The Canada Pride Alliance Network officially launched in Toronto in 2014 with the mission to inspire and support LGBTQ2+ partners and community through development, connection and advocacy. In addition to Toronto, there are also chapters in Vancouver and Montreal. The Canada Pride Alliance is one of Starbucks’ oldest and largest partner networks.

Starbucks chairman and chief executive officer Howard Schultz makes a vocal statement on diversity and equality during a spontaneous exchange at the 2013 Starbucks Annual Meeting of Shareholders. In response to a stockholder who voiced his view that the company had lost customers because of its support for marriage equality, Schultz said, “Not every decision is an economic decision. The lens in which we are making that decision is through the lens of our people.”

Expanding transgender partner support

In the U.S., Starbucks&nbsp;<a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/transgender-partners-share-stories-of-unconditional-acceptance-at-starbucks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">supports transgender partners</a>&nbsp;by adding coverage of gender reassignment surgery to the company’s health benefits. In Canada, gender-affirming surgeries (also known as sex reassignment surgeries) are covered by most provincial health care plans for eligible individuals.

Promoting marriage equality

Starbucks files an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case challenging the Defense of Marriage Act. The year before, the company had joined with other Pacific Northwest employers in supporting marriage equality legislation in Washington state.

Starbucks&nbsp;<a href="https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2008/starbucks-joins-redtm-to-help-save-lives-in-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">joins (RED)™</a>&nbsp;to help invest in AIDS programs in Africa through the Global Fund. As of 2019, Starbucks has generated <a href="https://stories.starbucks.ca/en/stories/2019/world-aids-day/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">more than $15.5 million</a> in donations to help this cause. The money supports HIV/AIDS programs, which provide HIV testing, counselling, treatment, prevention and education services.

Starbucks Pride partner affinity group officially becomes the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/StarbucksPride" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Starbucks Pride Alliance Network</a>, and is one of the largest employer resource groups for LGBTQ employees in the United States and Canada.

Starbucks issues Workplace Gender Transition Guidelines to support partners who are transgender or considering transitioning to promote understanding of fair and equitable treatment of transgender and gender-diverse partners.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hrc.org/campaigns/corporate-equality-index" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Human Rights Campaign’s first Corporate Equality Index</a>&nbsp;includes Starbucks in its national benchmarking tool on LGBTQ corporate policies and practices with a score of 86. Each year since 2002, Starbucks has scored 85 per cent or higher, including a perfect score of 100 per cent in 2016 and designation as one of the "Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality."

LGBTQ partners meet informally at Seattle area bars, which eventually becomes&nbsp;Starbucks LGBTQ partner affinity group. The group goes on to become the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/StarbucksPride/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Starbucks Pride Partner Network</a>&nbsp;and grows to include thousands of partners in the United States, Canada, and around the world.

Starbucks offers full health benefits to eligible full- and part-time employees, including coverage for same-sex domestic partnerships.

The Starbucks Pride partner affinity group officially became the Starbucks Pride Alliance Network in 2007, and is one of the largest employer resource groups for LGBTQ2+ employees in the United States and Canada. Take a look back at more than three decades of LGBTQ2+ support and advocacy at Starbucks.

Starbucks Pride: A Long Legacy of LGBTQ2+ Inclusion

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