I’m writing from Seattle, where we flew up to meet with the Starbucks Vice President of Global Benefits, Ron Crawford, to deliver my petition signed by more than 30,000 paid parental leave supporters like you. I was joined by Ryan, another barista who traveled to Seattle to meet with Starbucks, as we sat down to talk about their paid parental leave policy and why it leaves out LGBTQ+ baristas like us who want to start families some day. In the hours before our meeting, thousands of allies from across the country were cheering us on with messages of support. Ryan and I were so inspired and moved by the personal stories and messages thousands of you shared with us. After delivering the petition signatures, we asked for Ron Crawford to participate in a national conference call to hear from store employees about how they’re impacted by the company’s discriminatory policy -- and Starbucks agreed to participate. That’s great news! Now we have to get the word out to make sure that LGBTQ+ voices are heard by Starbucks HQ. If you are a Starbucks partner we want to hear from you. Please email jenna@paidleave.us to let us know that you are interested in participating on this call. Your support has been so empowering. On behalf of Starbucks LGBTQ+ baristas, thank you for being a champion for families and equality. Let’s win this! - Niko, Ryan, and the entire PL+US family