Vanessa Thomas, 55, has denied calling Luna Spain, a trans Starbucks manager, a 'tranny' or a 'man' during a row that resulted in Spain throwing Thomas out of the café. Thomas maintains that she did nothing to start the row and claims that Spain was the only one name-calling and being abusive. According to Thomas, the altercation began after she used the word 'lady' to describe a member of staff serving her without realising they did not identify as female. Spain, however, alleges that Thomas was abusive when told she couldn't pay using cash and that she was deliberately misgendering a colleague standing next to her. The incident took place in April and was filmed by Thomas' partner, Mark Andrews. Since the incident, Spain has lost her job at Starbucks, claiming she was dismissed without a formal disciplinary process taking place.
