Starbucks Barista Fired After Refusing To Wear "Pride" T-Shirt For Religious Reasons, According To Suit

"A former Starbucks barista is filing an unlawful discrimination lawsuit against the coffee giant, claiming they fired her for refusing to wear a 'Pride' t-shirt that violated her Christian religious convictions. Betsy Fresse started working as a barista in December 2015. After transferring to a Glen Ridge, New Jersey, store in early 2019, managers apparently 'assured' her that her Christian faith wouldn’t be an issue. Then in June 2019, she noticed a box of Pride shirts on a desk and asked if they’d make her wear one. Her store manager said she wouldn’t have to, but two months later she found herself out of a job after being terminated by a district manager. A notice of separation claims that Fresse was fired for violating Starbucks’ 'core values.' It specifically mentions an incident where she said her colleagues 'need Jesus' when given the 'Pride' shirt. Starbucks maintains that 'no part of our dress code requires partners to wear any approved items that they have not personally selected' and that Fresse’s claims are 'without merit,' in a comment to the New York Post. So Starbucks denies that she was fired for not wearing the shirt, yet their notice of separation appears to claim that they fired her for something she said about Jesus... Fresse is seeking backpay, punitive damages, money to cover the cost of an attorney, and a permanent injunction that prevents Starbucks from 'failing to accommodate […] sincerely held religious beliefs.'"