Starbucks Defeats Transgender Barista’s Bias, Harassment Claims

Starbucks Corp. will avoid facing a former employee’s lawsuit alleging transgender bias after a California appellate court dismissed the case Wednesday.

Maddie Wade said the manager at the Starbucks store where she worked harassed her and cut her hours after she told him in 2017 she had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and would be starting a gender-affirming transition from male to female.

Wade continued to wear a nametag reflecting her legal name, “Matt,” at work, though she asked coworkers to avoid using the name or male pronouns to refer to her. She said her manager, Dustin Guthrie, never used ...