When Starbucks publicly announced its support for gay marriage, in light of the recent legislation sweeping its home state of Washington, not everyone raised up their coffee cups in agreement. In fact, ultraconservative minister Steven Andrew is urging Christians to get their caffeine buzz elsewhere, and going as far as claiming Starbucks’ support of marriage equality means it “hates God.”
In an online post published this week, Andrew, president of California-based group USA Christian Ministries, says all Christians and their churches should boycott the Seattle-based chain. “Christians are upset with Starbucks for turning against God, but we are glad to know that Starbucks doesn’t pretend to be for Christians,” he says in the post. He cites Bible verses that call homosexuality “an abomination” and those who oppose biblical tenets “haters of God.”
“Starbucks is proud to join other leading Northwest employers in support of Washington State legislation recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples,” Starbucks executive vice president Kalen Holmes announced in a press release. “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.”
“It is core to who we are and what we value as a company. We are proud of our Pride Alliance Partner Network group, which is one of the largest Employer Resource Groups for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) employees in the U.S., helping to raise awareness about issues in the communities where we live and work.”
If those opposed to Washington’s legislation want to protest against the coffee company, they should also note the multitude of other corporations that have publicly announced their support for marriage equality, including Nike, Google and Microsoft. That’s a lot of products to protest.
Photo: Miss Turner/Flickr
