Starbucks says customers can ask for political names on drinks after a viral video of a barista declining to write the name Charlie Kirk on a cup

• A Starbucks barista cited policy when she refused to write Charlie Kirk's name on a customer's drink. • Policy calls for no political or pop culture references on cups, but allows customers to use fake names. • Baristas told Business Insider they feel stuck between corporate policy and the culture wars.

Starbucks says that customers can ask for political names on their drinks following a viral video in which a barista declined to write the name of assassinated conservative Charlie Kirk on a customer's cup.

Eight baristas told Business Insider that before the corporate clarification, they felt trapped between corporate policy, social media infamy, and, in some cases, their own personal beliefs when customers requested politically loaded names on their to-go cups.

A Starbucks spokes