Starbucks touching ad left everyone sobbing
A new advertisement video from the big coffee chain Starbucks has touched the hearts of the LGBTQ Twitter peeps.
In its one-minute video, a young transgender man finds himself in circumstances over his desired name after gender transition. His doctor, a deliveryman, his dad, and even his school ID refer to him by his original birth name Jemma.
Watch the heart-melting ad below:
The video ends with a touching scene when the man visits the Starbucks and his name James is called out by the barista. The barista also wrote James on his coffee cup symbolizing recognition and acceptance whoever you want to be.
“At Starbucks, writing your name on a cup and calling it out is a symbol of our warm welcome. It’s a small gesture, but it’s symbolic of what we believe in: Recognition and acceptance, whoever you are, or want to be. We welcome everyone,” Starbucks U.K. explains in its YouTube description.
In fact, the ad won Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award 2019 and it has also received colorful praise from trans people and their allies in social media. The ad is also part of Starbucks’ #whatsyourname campaign challenge.
https://twitter.com/Daniel83522138/status/1224088466184646657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1224088466184646657&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.advocate.com%2Fbusiness%2F2020%2F2%2F03%2Fstarbucks-calls-trans-man-his-name-heartwarming-ad
Gorgeous ad! As the parent of a trans son, this put a real lump in my throat 👏🏻💕
Thank you @StarbucksUK for supporting such a wonderful charity as @Mermaids_Gender 🧜🏻
— Helen🧜🏻♀️ (@mimmymum) February 2, 2020
Mermaid
Meanwhile, the campaign also supports Mermaid, an organization that supports transgender and gender-diverse young people in U.K. The organization will benefit at least £100,000 from a portion of Starbucks’ sale of mermaid fine-shaped cookies.
“The funds raised through #whatsyourname will allow us to make a meaningful change to our helpline that supports young trans people and their families who are so desperately in need of access to information and reassurance,” says CEO Mermaids Susie Green.
Furthermore, Starbucks has also featured other real-life stories from transgender people choosing their name as part of their #whatsyourname campaign.
Watch the video entitled “Moving Portraits” below:
