A former Starbucks employee is claiming she was fired for her religious beliefs opposing gender ideology. Taylor Trice took to TikTok to share her experience after being fired from the company after two years of employment. Trice, a Christian, said she knew very little about the company when she applied, other than that it was “bougie” and that it offered tuition assistance to attend Arizona State University. After gaining employment, Trice became familiar with the company’s annual pride displays, but one year she felt the display went too far. “I was used to Starbucks putting out their decorations and stuff during the month of June. It was just that this particular year, they went a little bit beyond the rainbow, and things were starting to taste sour and not sweet,” she told Fox News. Trice also took issue with a company policy that required her to use the personal pronouns of coworkers and customers, even if it went against their biological gender. “So, that means if I see you are a man, and I call you a woman, that is lying. That is identifying you as something that God did not create you to be. And it’s identifying you as something that Satan wants to identify you as, and Satan’s ultimate goal is to confuse you and deceive you about your identity,” said Trice.

One part of the problematic display Trice took issue with was how it described different sexual orientations. Trice deemed it as not being “family friendly.” However, problems began for Trice when she brought her concerns to management. She was brought in for alleged customer complaints, which accused Trice of homophobia. “There was a complaint that someone had made that, ‘Oh, I just feel like she is not comfortable with my identity,’ which I do not understand because I would talk to everyone there all the time. I was never making insults towards them or anything,” said Trice. However, she was fired in 2022. Despite the firing, Trice stated she enjoyed her former co-workers. She also stated that the experience helped her to be with other Christians. “I think God has provided for me ever since, I’ve been able to work with other Christians, and right now I’m a house cleaner, and I really like it. I’m proud of speaking up…. I just consider it as something that helps me to grow my faith,” she said.

A Starbucks spokesperson refused to elaborate on the claims made by Trice. The spokesperson did leave as statement, stating that although specific details would not be gone through, “Starbucks has no tolerance for discrimination or harassment of any kind in our stores, and we’re committed to fostering an environment where everyone is welcome, respected and valued. We expect all partners (employees) to abide by company policies and standards, including our anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies.”