California coffee chain reinstates policy on Pride flags after swift backlash | California
A San Francisco-based coffee chain, which sparked outrage with its policy of removing Pride flags from its stores, reversed its decision a week later.
“I made a mistake and I am truly sorry,” Mahesh Sadarangani, CEO of Philz Coffee, said in a statement on Friday. “The Pride flag is a symbol of safety and belonging for people in the world who don’t always find that, and that’s not something I want to take away from anyone who walks into Philz.”
In a statement to the Guardian last week, Sadarangani framed the move as a step towards inclusivity. Other flags will also be lowered for consistency, he said.
The response from Philz Coffee employees and customers was swift. an online petition Statements expressing opposition to the policy, which appears to have been initiated by company baristas, garnered more than 7,300 signatures. The company has built a reputation as an ally of the LGBTQ+ community.
State senator Scott Wiener, whose district includes San Francisco, also criticized the decision. social media and claimed that it was related to the latest situation win acquisition of the coffee chain by private equity firm Freeman Spogli.
In his statement, Sadarangani noted that San Francisco Pride leaders Suzanne Ford and Jupiter Peraza helped encourage the return.
“What made me engage with Mahesh was something I don’t always see in a CEO in this situation: true humility. He reached out, listened, and realized it wasn’t about optics. It was about whether queer people and the employees who come to them every day feel safe and visible,” Ford said in a statement.
“Mahesh sat down with our community members, listened to their perspective, and apologized—not as a formality, but as a person who misunderstood and wanted to make amends. This is important.”
Founded in 2003, Philz Coffee has expanded from its San Francisco outpost to more than 80 other locations in California and Chicago.
Pride flags have become a political lightning rod as Republican elected officials roll back diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and LGBTQ+ protections.
Last year, the Trump administration removed the rainbow flag that flew in front of the Stonewall national monument in New York City, a historic site that pays tribute to LGBTQ+ pioneers. This week the government agreed to settle a lawsuit restoring the flag.
The colors of the Pride flag have been painted on crosswalks across the country, but many removed Lately in Republican-led states. Last summer, U.S. transportation secretary Sean Duffy encouraged governors to identify public roads and clear them of “any political messaging.”
Some cities have found ways to express solidarity with LGBTQ+ residents who have circumvented mandates targeting rainbow crosswalks. In Miami Beach, city officials recently loaded Rainbow-coloured benches and plaques near an old rainbow crosswalk.
