Starbucks HQ Raises Largest Pride Flag for Seattle Pride Week

Photography by Nate Gowdy

If anyone doubted Starbucks' stance on the LGBT community, they won't anymore.

The company raised a massive 800-square-foot flag over their headquarters today as Seattle celebrated its 40th Pride, and CEO Howard Schultz, who was in attendance (pictured below), couldn't have looked more pleased.

"We are thrilled that Starbucks is showing their support for the LGBT community in this very big, very public way," Adam McRoberts, Communications Director for Seattle Pride, said in a press release. "The flag flying over their headquarters will welcome thousands of visitors coming to Seattle to celebrate Pride this week and is a testament to the support Starbucks has shown the LGBT community over the years."

This isn't the first time that the mermaid-stamped coffee chain has been a proponent of LGBT equality. They made their support for Washington State's same-sex marriage bill widely known in 2012, and Schultz later defended the company's support after a boycott by stating: "If you feel, respectfully, that you can get a higher return than the 38 percent you got last year, it's a free country. You can sell your shares of Starbucks and buy shares in another company. Thank you very much."