California-based coffee shop pulling Pride flags amid LGBTQ push back

A California coffee chain sparked backlash from progressives after announcing it would be removing LGBTQ pride flags from its stores.

A group known as “Philz Coffee Baristas” declared that Philz Coffee is “alienating” staff and customers with the decision, demanding in a Change.org petition that the San Francisco coffee shop reconsider and “proudly display the pride flags once again.”

“Philz Coffee’s recent decision to remove pride flags from their stores has left many team members and customers feeling confounded and unsupported,” reads the petition, which has so far garnered less than 4,000 signatures.

(Video: NBC Bay Area/YouTube)

“The pride flags within the stores hold deep meaning and value to both staff and visitors, symbolizing that these locations are safe and welcoming spaces for all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” the group’s petition continues. “Removing these flags risks alienating a core group of team members and loyal customers who see Philz not just as a coffee shop, but as a place where they are embraced and celebrated for who they are.”

Philz Coffee was asked to reinstate the pride flags and “reaffirm its commitment to diversity and inclusion, aligning its values with the community it serves.”

CEO Mahesh Sadarangan confirmed the decision by the chain, which was founded in San Francisco, but reaffirmed its “longstanding support” of the LGBTQIA+ community.

“At Philz, we have always believed everyone who walks through our doors deserves to feel welcome and safe, and that belief is at the core of everything we do,” Sadarangani said in a statement.

“Our longstanding support of the LGBTQIA+ community is unchanged. We are working toward creating a more consistent, inclusive experience across all our stores, including removing a variety of flags and other decor,” he added. “This is a change in how our stores look, not in who we are. Our allyship runs deeper than what is on our walls. It shows up in who we hire, how we treat one another and in our annual Pride Month Unity celebration, which returns this June as it has every year. Unity is fundamental to how we operate.”

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