A new advertisement, with the theme of inclusivity, by the coffee chain Starbucks appears to have offended a section of people on social media.
The ad, which was released on May 10, focuses on the acceptance of transgender persons and showcases a young man's transition to a woman—Arpit to Arpita.
The ad begins with an elderly couple in a coffee shop apparently waiting for their son. Soon, a woman enters and hugs the elderly woman, and attempts to hug the man, but is hesitant to reciprocate.
The father then goes up to fetch the coffee, and one of the cups has the name Arpita, revealing that the father has finally accepted his child for who she really is.
"Your name defines who you are - whether it's Arpit or Arpita. At Starbucks, we love and accept you for who you are. Because being yourself means everything to us," the caption of the advertisement read.
While many were highly appreciative of the ad, there was a call to boycott Starbucks with some people claiming that the company is trying to propagate its "woke agenda" in India.
There were also some who found issues with the religion of the person who made the transition. "Dear @StarbucksIndia make a same ad defining Salma and Salim. Tab dekho kaisa ‘ Khela Hobe ’ hota hai," was one of the tweets retweeted by many users.