IDAHOBIT 2023 | What trans people say about the viral TATA Starbucks ad

The ad film has elicited mixed reactions among audiences, with some segments on social media asking for a boycott of the brand.

On May 11, TATA Starbucks Private Limited – a joint venture between Starbucks and TATA Consumer Products Limited – released a campaign called #ItStartsWithYourName, geared towards affirming identities and celebrating inter-personal relationships.

The brand film, which is part of a campaign conceptualized by Edelman India, revolves around a trans woman named Arpita who meets her parents at a TATA Starbucks outlet. Her father does not reciprocate her hug because he is still struggling to accept Arpita as his trans daughter. However, something has shifted in his heart, thanks to his wife’s efforts. The father gets up to order coffee for all of them. When the barista calls out “Three cold coffees for Arpita”, it is clear that the father is trying to come to terms with Arpita’s gender affirmation journey even though his cellphone records show that the name is saved as Arpit, not Arpita.

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. #ItStartsWithYourName. pic.twitter.com/DKNGhKZ1Hg— Starbucks India (@StarbucksIndia) May 10, 2023

Siya, the transgender model and actor who plays Arpita in the brand film, says, “When I first heard (the campaign idea), I immediately thought of my own transition and what it meant for me to be recognized and accepted as Siya by my friends and family. It did not happen overnight, nor did my decision to transition. So, I thought I could play Arpita well.” She points out that the brand created a safe space for her and assured her that the subject would be handled sensitively.

She adds, “Our director Gaurav Gupta, and our costume stylist Lovedeep, are from the (LGBTQIA+) community as well. I really felt at ease on the set.” Since the film shows a situation that was similar to her personal experience, she felt “both nostalgic and hopeful”. After it went up on social media, she received supportive messages from friends and family.

The ad film has elicited mixed reactions among audiences, with some segments on social media asking for a boycott of the brand.

Gupta, a queer director, says: “I took on this project out of sheer love for the idea.” The concept and screenplay were locked in before he joined the team but he was given “full creative freedom on set” and “the Starbucks team was uncompromising in their ask for nuance and authenticity.” He notes, “The film has shaped up the way it has because of the simple narrative from Starbucks, the collaborative environment on set, the actors who breathed life into the characters, and the fact that members of the LGBTQIA+ community were involved in the making of a film where the protagonist is a trans person.”

The film “struck an emotional chord” with Rohin Bhatt, a non-binary queer rights activist, lawyer and bioethicist who formally appealed to the Chief Justice of India seeking the use of inclusive language in court and toilets for trans people. They say, “We often undermine the powerful role that media and positive portrayals can play in effectuating social change and perception. Take, for example, the episode of Aamir Khan’s show Satyamev Jayate where they discussed queerness. The effect that it had in terms of humanizing queer people was immense. We were no longer abstract 'Western' ideas but real humans and Indians with families, lovers, partners, and friends.” In Bhatt’s opinion, this film plays a similar role.

Dr Aqsa Shaikh, a trans woman who is an associate professor of community medicine at the Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Delhi, felt nostalgic when she watched the film. It reminded her of an acting workshop that she had participated in. She says, “I had enacted a scene where a trans woman goes to meet her estranged brother.”

She calls the film “a glimmer of hope for a lot of trans folks who are estranged from their families and are craving for acceptance”. She also thinks that it will “normalize conversations around trans persons and their families, the importance of acceptance by parents, and the significance of names and pronouns chosen by trans people, in the mainstream media”.

Psychotherapist Aryan Somaiya, a transman who is the co-founder of Guftagu Therapy, says, “I like the film’s emphasis on the responsibility that allies must take. It shows the mother preparing the father before the trans daughter comes to the café. She tells him not to be rude and not to get angry.” However, Somaiya felt that the trans woman’s response to her father was not realistic. “There is no need to put the father on a pedestal. It is okay to express hurt.”

Somaiya says that it is rare for trans actors to get hired to play trans characters, and he hopes that other companies will do the same. He adds that “there is great diversity in the trans community…most campaigns feature trans women, not trans men and non-binary persons”.

Dr Shaikh knows Siya personally, and was thrilled to see her playing Arpita. She says, “Siya is an absolutely beautiful human being, and has done justice to the role. People often say that there is not enough talent in the trans community. This film will change that perception.”

Tashi Choedup, a transfeminine person who works at "a queer-trans wellness and support centre" called Yugantar, says, "The film’s job is to bring more customers to TATA Starbucks outlets, not to educate people about trans rights. Showing a trans woman signals that it is an open and welcoming environment but, in reality, most trans people in India cannot access such spaces. Especially if these outlets are located in a shopping mall, the staff at the security gates and at order counters are not sensitized. There are no gender-neutral washrooms."

Choedup remarks that Arpita "seems financially well-off, unlike several trans women in India who depend on begging and sex work to make a living, and cannot afford to wear the clothes that Arpita wears or buy coffee and snacks at Starbucks outlets." According to Choedup, this film will not make a difference in the lives of poor working-class trans people and hijras.

Dr Shaikh says, “Arpita comes (across as) a privileged trans woman who can pass off as a cisgender woman. Unlike her, many trans women are not allowed into cafes. It is assumed that they will be loud and create trouble, or that other patrons will be uncomfortable with their presence.”

Dr Shaikh hopes that more coffee shops will feel encouraged to welcome trans customers. She adds, “The film is being criticized by people with fierce opinions about the LGBTQIA+ community. They are asking why a coffee brand should have a woke agenda. In fact, companies that talk about inclusivity at the workplace should be making more such films.”