Starbucks Appreciation Day To Support Marriage Equality

The LGBT community is fighting back against supporters of Chick-fil-A and their stance against gay-marriage — peacefully, of course. Kristin Palladino, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Equally Wed, an online "LGBT wedding magazine," is urging supporters of marriage equality to visit Starbucks on August 7th for Starbucks Appreciation Day.

Palladino's hope is to mimic what thousands of conservative patrons did on Wednesday by showing up to Chick-fil-A, in the name of free speech and religious values. By showing up to a Starbucks on August 7th, those who oppose Chick-fil-A's stance on gay marriage can show their support of equality in the same way.

Although Starbucks has not endorsed the event (yet), it has showed its support for the marriage equality legislation. In a statement earlier this year, Kalen Holmes, Executive Vice President said: "Starbucks is proud to join other leading Northwest employers in support of Washington State legislation recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples...This important legislation is aligned with Starbucks business practices and upholds our belief in the equal treatment of partners. It is core to who we are and what we value as a company."

In an excerpt from Palladino's original statement and open invitation to the event, she says: "Let's affirm a business that operates on moral principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for human dignity and upstanding values, the same that we advocate by simply showing up, drinking and eating at Starbucks on Tuesday, August 7...This grassroots effort is quite simply full of love and appreciation for a company that stands up for us, for what is right, for what is just." (The website is based in Atlanta, coincidentally the same city in which Chick-fil-A is based.)

Palladino will likely be joined by many supporters, both gay and straight, who agree with her position on the issue. But will opponents flock to Chick-fil-A in another act of protest?