Lady Gaga’s Born This Way did more than put Gaga in the music history books, it became the anthem of a new era of LGBTQ+ activism. The namesake foundation was founded in 2012, a year after the song was released, and it helps fund organizations serving the mental health needs of our LGBTQ+ youth as well as the research that informs them.
And you can confidently sip on your new rainbow tumbler this Pride season because Starbucks is teaming up with the Born This Way Foundation to raise money for mental health resources for LGBTQ+ youths.
The Starbucks Foundation and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation will match all donations made online, up to $250,000, between June 1 and June 30. Which means that up to $500,000 could go to help community organizers and groups all over the country.
According to the 2018 Human Rights Watch LGBTQ Youth Report, 72% of youths surveyed reported recently feeling “depressed or down.” And only 26% feel safe in their schools and classrooms and less than a quarter of those say they feel supported by teachers and school staff.
So, that’s why in 2017, Lady Gaga walked into a Starbucks, grabbed an apron, and took down orders and misspelled customer names like a regular Starbucks barista. That year, the Starbucks/Born This Way collaboration also came with new ombré pink drinks called, Cups of Kindness. But we’re all adults here and while sweet pink incentives are nice, we can all rally behind a good cause. Plus, it might not be too late for Starbucks to surprise us with limited edition pride drinks, right?