Texas restaurant apologizes and fires employee who called customers gay slur
Restaurant says it does not accept or condone homophobic behavior
A restaurant in South Texas has apologized and fired an employee who allegedly used a homophobic slur to refer to customers.
Sandra Clement, a high school principal, wrote on Facebook that she’d gone to Agave Jalisco Mexican Restaurant in Corpus Christi with her son and his boyfriend on Thursday.
But after her son hugged his boyfriend, a male employee pointed at them and yelled an anti-gay slur in Spanish, which he kept repeating in a singsong voice. Other employees were laughing at the worker’s antics, reports The Dallas Morning News.
Since Clement made her initial post on Facebook, Agave Jalisco released a statement offering its “most sincere apology.”
“[We know] the seriousness of this issue, and want to state that we do not condone or accept this type of homophobic behavior,” the statement read. “We are family owned, we have taught our family and children to go out into the world and treat everyone the same way that they would want to be treated.”
The restaurant also announced that the employee who used the slur has since been fired, and that the rest of its staff will be required to take sensitivity training.
Clement wrote a subsequent Facebook post applauding the restaurant’s actions.
“Our son, his boyfriend, and our family applaud Agave Jalisco for taking swift action in addressing the unfortunate incident,” Clement wrote. “Although they cannot control every employee, they have stepped up to ensure they are held accountable. Much appreciated!
“We encourage all community members to join us in supporting Agave Jalisco as they have shown true character and compassion. I will delete all social media posts I made on the incident so we can move forward as a community,” she added. “I can’t put into words how thankful we are for all the love and support our son and his boyfriend have received. Above all else, let’s be kind.”
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