OLYMPIA, Wash. — A national group opposed to gay marriage is calling for a boycott of Starbucks in response to the company's public support of a new same-sex marriage law in Washington state.
Following a shareholders' meeting of the Seattle-based coffee giant on Wednesday, The National Organization for Marriage announced a "Dump Starbucks" protest. The group says it will place ads throughout the United States, as well as in the Middle East and Southeast Asia urging consumers to boycott the company.
The group is supporting a referendum effort to overturn a recently passed law legalizing same-sex marriage in Washington state.
Phone and email messages left with Starbucks were not immediately returned on Wednesday.
CEO Howard Schultz defended the company's stance during the meeting, saying the decision was made "in our view, through the lens of humanity, and being the kind of company that embraces diversity."
