MAY 9, 2017 — A big reason why I went to work for Starbucks, where I’ve proudly worked for nearly 7 years, was because of their inclusiveness of the LGBTQ community. Will you join me in urging Starbucks to continue to be a strong LGBTQ ally by including ALL families in the paid parental leave policy? http://plus.nationbuilder.com/starbucks_niko I am a transgender male and Starbucks is a place that I, and my LGBTQ friends who also work for the company, can be authentic. But I’m writing today because I was surprised to learn that the paid leave Starbucks offers to store employees does not extend to fathers or adoptive parents -- a policy that hurts LGBTQ parents. Will you join me in urging Starbucks to continue to be a strong LGBTQ ally by including ALL families in the paid parental leave policy? http://plus.nationbuilder.com/starbucks_niko Starbucks has demonstrated its inclusivity to the LGBTQ community in so many ways - a big one is their health care package, which includes coverage for surgeries deemed "cosmetic" by other companies, such as gender reassignment surgery. Starbucks healthcare package also offers fertility treatments and they provide support for adoption services. Earlier this year, a new parental leave policy was announced in Starbucks corporate, granting birth mothers 18 weeks of paid leave, and fathers and adoptive parents 12 weeks of paid leave to bond with the new additions to their families. However, in-store employees are not given the same courtesy, as birth mothers are only given 6 weeks, while fathers and adoptive parents are left with nothing. This leaves a large community of Starbucks employees, including the LGBTQ retail employees who are starting families, in tough situations because they have to take unpaid leave in order to care for their families. Starbucks is an inspiring company, and they set the bar high in the area of inclusion of all types of people. Sign our petition urging Starbucks to continue to be an inclusive leader by providing paid parental leave to ALL employees: http://plus.nationbuilder.com/starbucks_niko Every family of every kind deserves time with their loved ones. Thank you for uniting with the LGBTQ employees of Starbucks and for standing up for inclusivity, equality and most importantly, love. -- Niko, Starbucks shift lead Los Angeles, CA And the entire team at PL+US