Starbucks holiday cups under fire again
Nov 21, 2017, 8:40 AM | Updated: 9:07 am
‘Tis the season for Starbucks’ holiday cups to be scrutinized.
People have begun questioning whether two hands on this year’s cup belong to a same-sex couple.
The 2017 Starbucks holiday cup. Click to enlarge. (Starbucks)
Additionally, a YouTube video promoting the cups includes two women sharing a moment with their hands overlapping.
Starbucks that it will let customers decide what this year’s cup means.
鈥淭his year鈥檚 hand-drawn cup features scenes of celebrating with loved ones 鈥� whoever they may be,鈥� Sanja Gould, a company spokeswoman, told the Times. 鈥淲e intentionally designed the cup so our customers can interpret it in their own way, adding their own color and illustrations.鈥�
It was in 2015 when the “War on Christmas” ramped up. During the holiday season, Starbucks removed all holiday symbols from its cups, making them plain red. The company said it wanted to “create a culture of belonging, inclusion, and diversity.”
Then-presidential candidate Donald Trump suggested a boycott of Starbucks over the design; as did conservative Christian activists.
The holiday theme was back in full force in 2016, with snowflakes, ornaments, and reindeer.
