Starbucks India sparks debate with trans inclusivity campaign

Starbucks India launched its latest campaign ‘It starts with your name’ - aimed at promoting trans inclusivity.

Starbucks India’s latest campaign on transgender persons triggered a row, adding momentum to the ongoing debate over queer rights in India. The American coffeehouse chain Wednesday launched a campaign titled ‘it starts with your name’, in a bid to promote inclusivity and shared a video featuring a transgender woman meeting with her parents at a Starbucks outlet.

Screengrab of the video shared by Starbucks India of its latest campaign on trans inclusivity. (Twitter/StarbucksIndia)

The video shows the woman’s mother urging her husband to not get angry at their daughter this time when she arrives, which follows a sentimental nervous interaction between the family. As Starbucks is known for its practice of writing customers' names on their cups, when the father orders coffee for the family, the barista calls out the name Arpita instead of the woman’s dead name Arpit, indicating the father’s acceptance of their daughter for who she is.

The video ends with the father conveying his feelings that for him his child’s changed appearance does not matter and that Arpita is the same kid he’s always had. "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," the brand tweeted with the video.

‘It starts with your name’ – the campaign slogan is directed at promoting trans inclusivity. Transgender persons often opt to change their name to distance themselves from their birth name, also known as a dead name, which may not align with their gender identity. Using the new name suggested by transpersons is a way to help them express their authentic selves and affirm their true identity. Transgenders are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community umbrella term to collectively refer to diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.

While many LGBTQIA+ community members and allies welcomed the effort, a set of users seemed unhappy and accused the company of pretending to be ‘woke’ at a time when it has been charged with promoting anti-union activities and unfairly compensating its workers. The LGBTQIA+ community also used the incident to highlight the stigma faced by them in response to negative or crass comments, as seen in the reply section of the original tweet.

Some users also reiterated the Narendra Modi government’s stance on queer rights, claiming the campaign ‘an agenda to impose the Western idea of homosexuality’ on the Indian audience, where the majority of the people are conservative and have largely believed in a heteronormative lifestyle. The campaign comes amid as the Supreme Court concluded its hearing on the issue of marriage equality and reserved its order Thursday.

As Starbucks operates its outlets in India in a joint venture with Tata Group’s subsidiary Tata Consumer Products, some users also recalled the Indian conglomerate’s past controversies including the 2020 interfaith Tanishq ad, and indicated they would boycott the company’s products if it continues to indulge into sensitive issues.