Your favorite Starbucks is in trouble in India. The netizens are calling out for boycotting Starbucks. The reason – is a recent ad. So what has triggered the Indians to boycott Starbucks?
Well, it started with the latest promotional ad for Starbucks. Sharing the ad, Starbucks on its official Twitter page tweeted,
“Your name defines who you are – whether it’s Arpit or Arpita. At Starbucks, we love and accept you for who you are. Because being yourself means everything to us. #ItStartsWithYourName. 💚”
Well, Starbucks has shown its support for LGBTQ through its promotional ad. However, the Indians are not happy with it. What is the video about and how is Twitterati reacting? Read to know more.
The Controversial Ad
The ad supports Woke Campaign and sex change. The advertisement starts with parents waiting for their son and the father is seen calling his son Arpit on his phone.
But he doesn’t pick up. A girl thereafter is seen entering the scene in a beautiful dress and goes on to hug her mother and father. Though the father looks uncomfortable, he simply nods back the greeting.
The girl thereafter thanks her father for meeting her and conveys that he means a lot to her. The dad thereafter orders coffee for them.
The waitress at the Starbucks is seen to call out Arpita as is seen written on the cups. The father is seen saying,” You are still my kid. Only a letter has been added to your name.” The ad ends with the hashtag #ItStartsWithYourName.
The ad has triggered a reaction amongst the Indians and is calling out for boycotting Starbucks with #boycottstarbucks.
Netizens Reactions
The netizens can be seen as visibly upset with the Woke Campaign in India. One of the users tweeted,
“Fail to understand the need for a multinational to get into sensitive topics in a country of hypersensitive sentimental people. Huge dent in the brand!!”
Other users called out Starbucks for assuming genders by name. The tweet read,
“Who gave you the right to assume genders by names? I can still be ‘PuNeet’ while recognizing myself as a lesbian female, why make it ‘PuNita’? You have no business linking gender with nomenclature.
I boycott Starbucks for their non-binary-gender-phobic tweet. #BoycottStarbucks”
Intentional or otherwise the time of release of the ad coincides with the pending case of same-sex marriage at the Supreme Court.
LGBTQ Rights in India
LGBTQ rights in India are still evolving and there are no restrictions that prevent same-sex copulation. They also have the same rights in live-in relationships.
The Government of India has also passed The Transgender Persons Act, in 2019 which acknowledges the right for retaining and identifying one as a man or a woman. Even a certificate is also provided by an official medical officer for documentation purposes.
All citizens are given constitutional rights irrespective of biological gender or identified gender and there are provisions for even identifying as third gender in the application forms.
Same-sex marriage, however, has not been legalized in India and the battle is presently at the Supreme Court.
What are your views on the controversial ad? Tell us in the comment section.
Last Updated on by kalidaspandian