Costa Coffee threatened with boycott over a single cartoon drawing of a trans man
TERFs threaten to boycott Costa Coffee over one single drawing of a trans man (Twitter/screenshot and Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The hashtag #BoycottCostaCoffee has been shared widely on social media after one of its cafƩs was pictured featuring an illustration of a person with top surgery scars.
A photo of a Costa Express was seen with a cartoon character proudly displaying top surgery scars and blue hair drinking a coffee, with the cartoon predictably causing “gender-critical” voices to threaten to boycott the coffee chain.Ā
Anti-trans campaigner Maya Forstater linked the image to āself-harmā, despite top surgery being found to improve young trans peopleās quality of life.
Forstater, who in 2022 won an employment tribunal which found she was discriminated against due to her āgender-criticalā beliefs, said: āThe main issue here is promoting and glamourising self-harm and the idea that young women should have their breasts removedā.
Trans-inclusive group LGBWithTheT explained that the advert showed that widespread support for the trans community is becoming āmore and more clearā.
āHave you noticed no matter how hard the haters bash their bigot bongā¦ The support becomes more and more clear for all to see,ā the group said on Twitter.
One Twitter user added that the illustration was a āgreat advertisementā for Costa.
āSaw Costa was trending. Turned out itās because they have an illustration of a trans masc person and all the bigots are losing their minds about trans people existing,ā the user said.
A Costa spokesman said in a statement to The Times: āAt Costa Coffee we celebrate the diversity of our customers, team members and partners.
āWe want everyone that interacts with us to experience the inclusive environment that we create, to encourage people to feel welcomed, free and unashamedly proud to be themselves.
āThe mural, in its entirety, showcases and celebrates inclusivity.ā
The brand has previously shown support for the LGBTQ+ community, in 2022 teaming up with the charity Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline ahead of Pride month.
The boycott threat is reminiscent of anti-trans backlash to other brands in recent months, with Wickes facing a boycott after it made its support for the trans community clear, stating transphobes aren’t welcome in its stores.
Bud Light faced furious backlash after it collaborated with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney, with anti-trans campaigners smashing Bud Light displays in stores, refusing to sell the beer brand, and in the case of Kid Rock, shooting Bud Light cans with an assault weapon.
PinkNews has contacted Costa Coffee for comment.
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