Starbucks Expands Health Benefits for Transgender Employees Starbucks has announced that it will now cover surgeries for trans people that were previously considered cosmetic, such as facial feminization. “The approach was driven not just by the company’s desire to provide truly inclusive coverage, and by powerful conversations with transgender partners about how those benefits would allow them to truly be who they are," -- Ron Crawford, vice president of benefits, Starbucks The coffee chain has covered gender confirmation surgery since 2012, and has been praised for its LGBTQ-friendly workplace. Starbucks worked with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) to enact the new benefits. Starbucks scored 100 out of 100 on the 2018 Corporate Equality Index in 2017, making it a top employer for LGBTQ workplace equality