A recent social media post about a store owner demanding a Pride flag be removed from a store window in Port Hope didn’t quite tell the entire story.
Nate Corkery has been an employee Starbucks Coffee for the past two years.
Starbucks and PharmaSave are in the same building located at 60 Ontario Street in Port Hope.
Corkery said he brought in the Pride flag at the beginning of June to celebrate Pride Month.
People started signing the flag and it just carried on from there with more and more people signing each day while they waited for their order at Starbucks.
Corkery said he didn’t ask the owner, Mena Yohanna about bringing the Pride flag to the store.
“I brought it in. He was fine with it and everyone loved it.”
There was a small Pride display around the flag and Corkery said customers commented how they loved the decorations.
In mid-June Corkery asked Yohanna if he could hang the flag in the window and the owner said no due to politics, but to leave it where it is and if people wish to sign it – all the better.
“He respectfully said no and said, “I hope you understand, and I did.”
Corkery would have loved to have seen the flag in the window, but having the flag in the store where people could sign it was appreciated.
When another person posted the flag in the window, they were told to take it down and someone posted on social media about the incident, but didn’t include all the details about the Pride flag and display being in the store.
“He felt disrespected that people didn’t listen to him and that’s why it was taken down. It’s his store.”
But Corkey said the social media posts stating derogatory remarks against Yohanna are totally untrue.
“It started as something small to spread joy and then one thing lead to another, to this big thing where someone has to be the victim in this situation which sucks.”
“There is no victim here,” Corkery adamantly states.
“Everyone should be happy – it’s Pride Month. That’s what it’s about spreading happiness and joy.”
The Pride flag is still in the store for people to sign until the end of the day, which is the last day of Pride Month.
In a meeting on Wednesday between Corkery and Yohanna, Corkery said, “it went really well and he gave me a hug at the end of it.”
“He is not some big homophobic monster that some people portray him to be.”
Corkery said he wished that the flag could have been hung in the window, but he respects the owners decision.
Starbucks has been Corkery’s family for the last two years, and Thursday, June 30 is his last day, but he’s leaving his working family on a happy note for another job.
“It’s sad to be leaving, but the people and Mena have been great to work with for the last two years.”
Yohanna added in a e-mail to Today’s Northumberland, “I am against any discrimination of any kind. Sometimes I feel it because how I look and i don’t wish anyone to feel that way.”
“I like to show that not just by words but by action, by making everyone feel welcomed and Nate is not my only partner that belongs to the LGBTQ community. And not just in this store, any store that I own.”
“The way I was attacked was not fair and too aggressive. And if I am an emotional person, that could have impacted the case. But I will never let an unwise action from someone to affect others that deserve to be treated equally.”
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
