Australian owned Gloria Jean's Coffee
gave $30,000 to the anti-gay marriage group Australian Christian
Lobby (ACL).
The revelation came in mid-June.
Since then, the coffee giant has rushed to distance itself from the
ACL.
The first Gloria Jean's Coffees shop
was opened in 1979 by Gloria Jean Kvetko in Chicago, USA. In 1995,
Nabi Saleh and Peter Irvine purchased the Gloria Jean's Coffees brand
for all countries with the exception of the United States and Puerto
Rico. In 2009, a company affiliated with the Australian corporation
purchased the North American rights. There are currently more than
1,000 Gloria Jean's Coffees shops worldwide.
The company confirmed in a statement
that in the 2010-11 tax year it donated $30,000 to the ACL, one of
the nation's most vocal opponents of gay rights and marriage equality
in particular.
“This was a once off donation during
the time of the election … in support of the prime ministerial
debate only,” a spokesman for the coffee chain said.
The company has also faced charges that
it supports Hillsong Church, a ministry which once supported “ex-gay”
therapy.
“What's more, it is important to
reiterate that we are not religiously affiliated or affiliated to any
other beliefs or preferences, including Hillsong.”
“By the same token, nor do we
discriminate against others based on their beliefs or preferences.
We are proud of our culture of equality and embrace diversity across
our entire business,” the spokesman added.
Nearly 3,000 people have joined a
Change.org petition calling for a boycott against the company.
Meanwhile in the United States, the
National Organization for Marriage (NOM) has launched a boycott
against Starbucks for its support of gay marriage. More than
45,000 people have pledged to “dump Starbucks.” However, more
than 650,000 people have joined a campaign thanking the coffee
giant.