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

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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

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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

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

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https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2021/pride-month-meet-devon-he-they-a-store-manager-helping-to-create-safe-environments-for-trans-partners-and-customers/

<em>In celebration of Women’s History Month, we asked women to tell us who inspires them – their friends and family, mentors and heroes. Arielle Gordon, retail operations lead at Starbucks Greenwich Lane Reserve Store in New York, didn’t hesitate a moment before picking her mother, Lori Gordon. We’re sharing their story and hope it encourages you to think about the remarkable women in your life who inspire you.</em>

When Arielle Rebekah Gordon was growing up, her mother would read every night to her the children’s book “Love You Forever,” about a parent’s undying, unconditional love for her child. The refrain throughout the book is “<em>I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.”</em>

It was a constant in a life that sometimes felt all wrong. From an early age, Arielle grappled with depression and a deep sense that she wasn’t who she should be. As she got older, she withdrew and there were times she didn’t want to be alive.

Desperate to help her, Arielle’s mother, Lori Gordon, sent her to a therapeutic boarding school for high school. Before she left, her mom made an audio recording of that book so she could play it whenever she needed to. “It gave me that feeling of home, of closeness and of comfort,” Arielle said. “When I listened to or even looked at that book, my mom was right there next to me.”

It was at boarding school that Arielle came out as transgender. At first, her mom struggled with learning that the child she’s known as a son identified as her daughter. She was afraid of how others would treat her child and that it would mean a hard life for her. “But then I saw her just blossom,” Lori said. “I could see that her mind was free and her emotions and she could really express and become the full person she is destined to be.”

And above all, she knew she loved her child. “Love doesn’t change,” Lori said. “What changed is her ability to receive love – and that doesn’t have anything to do with being a son or a daughter.”

Having her mom at her side meant she didn’t have to find her new path alone, Arielle said. “A lot of trans people I know don’t have parents to help navigate it. When I was beginning my transition, there were days where I felt beaten down. A lot of us come home to an environment of fear and pain. But for me, I came home to a mom who always just wanted me to be happy. She was a safe haven.”

Arielle, 24, said her mom inspires her every day – not just with her unwavering love but by her strength. “She’s resilient and powerful,” she said. “She is there for me and everyone.”

For her part, Lori said her daughter inspires her right back – and has shown her what true strength looks like.

“I love her ability to speak the truth and be who she really is, even when it’s uncomfortable,” said Lori. “She’s beautiful.”

After coming out to her parents, Arielle searched for an employer who would see her for who she is. After she graduated from high school, she said she googled “transgender friendly employers” and Starbucks kept coming up, so she applied. A week later, she started there as a barista.

Five years later, she’s a retail operations lead at the newly opened Starbucks Greenwich Lane (N.Y.) Reserve Store. In her free time, she and her mom get together regularly to cook and bake or go to Broadway shows. They talk daily by phone. Last year, Arielle started a blog called&nbsp;<a href="https://transandcaffeinated.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Trans and Caffeinated</a>&nbsp;where she writes about her experience. (“Her writing and ability to express herself is beyond – just beyond,” said Lori.)

A few months ago, Lori, 63, contributed a piece to it called&nbsp;<a href="https://transandcaffeinated.com/through-a-mothers-eyes-learning-to-celebrate-my-transgender-daughter/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">“Through a mother’s eyes: Learning to celebrate my transgender daughter.”</a>

In the post, she recounted her journey to acceptance, along with resources and guidance, in the hope that she could help other parents of trans people. “Above all, continue to love your child as you have always loved them,” she wrote. “ … I declare loud and proud to everyone and anyone I can that I have a transgender daughter. If I can clear up just one misconception that somebody has, it is my honour to do so.”

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we asked women to tell us who inspires them – their friends and family, mentors and heroes.

Meet Arielle and Lori Gordon, a Mother and Daughter who Know ‘Love Doesn’t Change’

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https://stories.starbucks.ca/en-ca/stories/2020/arielle-and-lori-gordon-mother-and-daughter-love/

transgender partner

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

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

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

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

Meet Arielle and Lori Gordon, a Mother and Daughter who Know ‘Love Doesn’t Change’