Arts & Entertainment
UK Starbucks ad shows trans teen using new name for the first time
A new Starbucks ad featuring a transgender boy is making a push for trans acceptance in the UK.
According to LGBTQ Nation, the commercial is part of a partnership with the UK transgender youth organization Mermaids. Part of the coffee chain’s “What’s your name?” campaign, the ad follows a trans teen named James as he goes about his day; we see him being repeatedly called by his deadname – at the doctor’s office, on his student ID card, by family.
At the end of the ad – which won the Channel 4 Diversity Award 2019 – he goes into Starbucks to place an order. The barista asks him his name, and he responds, “It’s James,” as the employee writes it on his cup.
Response to the ad on social media was welcoming. Many transgender people took the opportunity to share stories of their own first time using their name at Starbucks.
On Twitter, @Daniel83522138 commented, “As someone who is trans, I can not express how much this means to me. It may seem like a small thing, but to a trans person it means everything. Thank you Starbucks.”
@Harperexpress posted a picture of her own cup from the first time she used her true name at Starbucks, with the caption, “This was from 2 years ago at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam. It was such a beautifully written confirmation of who I am.”
Another, @remembrancermx, wrote, “I knew the moment my name was said in Starbucks that it was my name & always meant to be my name. I’ve officially changed it now, but still family won’t accept it, & it’s good to know there’s a place it will always be respected.”
Some comments came from family and allies of trans individuals, such as @mimmymum, who commented, “Gorgeous ad! As the parent of a trans son, this put a real lump in my throat.”
Starbucks is also selling limited edition mermaid cookies in an effort to raise up to £100,000 – that’s $130,000 – of funds for Mermaids. The ad will air on television in the UK and online elsewhere in the world.
You can watch it below.
Celebrity News
Madonna announces release date for new album
‘Confessions II’ marks return to the dance floor
Pop icon Madonna on Wednesday announced that her 15th studio album will be released on July 3.
Titled “Confessions II,” the new album is a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” an Abba and disco-infused hit.
The new album reunites Madonna with producer Stuart Price, who also helmed the original “Confessions” album. It’s her first album of new material since 2019’s “Madame X.”
“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna said in a press release. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” continued the statement. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions. Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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