Starbucks sacks trans worker | Do employers know how to speak about trans issues?

A trans Starbucks employee was sacked after a video went viral of the worker and a customer arguing because she claimed to have been misgendered.

The video footage, which was posted on social media, showed the trans worker in a dispute with the customer, later identified as Ms Thomas, after the worker told Thomas to pay with card as opposed to cash. Thomas reportedly said in response: "I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to the lady behind the counter," which the trans worker felt was a transphobic remark and called her out for it.

In the video, Thomas then responded saying: "You're rude, don't ever call me transphobic, ever. You do not know me," to which the employee replied: "You're calling me a man, you're being transphobic, 'Karen'. Now get out." Reportedly, the staff member lunged towards the bystander filming the altercation.

As a result of the conflict, the trans worker was fired from the coffee shop chain. The video being filmed, posted online, and consequently going viral highlights the power of social media to sway decisions made by employers around controversial disputes. But it also points to the fact that within organisations, and in society generally, more education around trans issues is needed in order for healthy discourse to take place.