California coffee chain reinstates policy on Pride flags after swift backlash

A San Francisco-based coffee chain that sparked backlash with a policy to remove Pride flags from their stores has reversed its decision over a week later.“I made a mistake and I am sincerely sorry,” said Mahesh Sadarangani, the chief executive of Philz Coffee, in a statement on Friday. “The Pride flag is a symbol of safety and belonging for people who don’t always find that in the world, and that is not something I want to take away from anyone who walks into a Philz.”Last week, in a statement to the Guardian, Sadarangani framed the move as a step toward inclusivity. He said other flags would also come down for consistency.Backlash from Philz Coffee’s workers and customers was swift. An online petition expressing opposition to the policy, which appeared to be started by company baristas, racked up more than 7,300 signatures. The company has built a reputation on being an ally to the LGBTQ+ community.Scott Wiener, a state senator, whose district includes San Francisco, had also slammed the decision on social media and suggested it was related to the recent acquisition of the coffee chain by the private equity firm Freeman Spogli.Sadarangani credited the San Francisco Pride leaders Suzanne Ford and Jupiter Peraza in his statement as helping to spur the reversal.“What gave me reason to engage with Mahesh was something I don’t always see from a CEO in this situation: genuine humility. He reached out, listened and understood that this wasn’t about optics. It was about whether queer people, and the employees who show up for them every day, feel safe and seen,” Ford said in a statement.“Mahesh sat with our community members, heard their perspective and apologized, not as a formality but as a person who got it wrong and wanted to make it right. That matters.”Founded in 2003, Philz Coffee has expanded from its San Francisco outpost with more than 80 other locations throughout California and in Chicago.Pride flags have been a political lightning rod as elected Republican officials have rolled back diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and LGBTQ+ protections.Last year, the Trump administration removed a rainbow flag that flew outside New York City’s Stonewall national monument, a historical site that pays homage to the LGBTQ+ pioneers. This week, the government agreed to settle a lawsuit that restored the flag.The colors of the Pride flag are painted on crosswalks across the nation, but several have been removed recently in Republican-led states. Last summer, Sean Duffy, the US transportation secretary, encouraged governors to identify and rid public roadways of “political messages of any nature”.Some cities have found ways to express solidarity with LGBTQ+ residents that circumvent mandates targeting rainbow crosswalks. In Miami Beach, city officials recently installed rainbow-colored benches and plaques near the site of a former rainbow crosswalk.