Starbucks CEO Has Harsh Words For Those That Oppose Gay Marriage Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has been criticized in the past for running a leftist company, and it is not secret that the coffee franchise leans heavily in one direction. However, in the past few years the company has gotten more political, and more vocal. Consumers are starting to wonder if this time theyve too far. Recently, Starbucks teamed up with several other businesses in a lawsuit over the Defense of Marriage act. When Starbucks announced its support for gay marriage, many conservatives and Christians began to boycott Starbucks products. In the first full quarter after this boycott was announced, our sales and earningsshall we say politelywere a bit disappointing, claims Tom Strobar of the Corporate Morality Action Center. Despite pleas from employees to change or at least hide the stance, Schultz has steadfastly refused. If you feel, respectfully, that you can get a higher return than the 38% [shareholder] return you got last year, its a free country, Schultz told investors. You can sell your shares in Starbucks and buy shares in another company. Thank you very much. 