Just in case you needed another reason to hate Wal-Mart, a man in Chickasha, Oklahoma claims he was asked to leave his local Wal-Mart store because he is gay.
Jonathan Pacheco and his boyfriend (pictured) were shopping for cookies when a janitor allegedly approached them and asked a series of questions about homosexuality, then muttered something about “Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve,” before requesting the men leave the premises.
“He told me that I wasn’t allowed in his store,” Pacheco told the Express Star. “I just walked away. I wasn’t looking for any kind of fight and we weren’t acting inappropriately. I just wanted to buy some cookies.”
When he went to alert two different managers about the incident, Pacheco says no action was taken: “They didn’t write anything down. They just kind of sent me away.”
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Kayla Whaling, spokesperson for Wal-Mart, says the company is investigating the incident.
“We are still in the process of talking to all who were involved,” she said. “As soon as we are finished we will take the appropriate measures.”
Wal-Mart has a reputation for mistreating LGBT customers and employees, though the company has recently taken baby steps remedy this. This summer it began offering benefits to same-sex couples. Of course, the retail giant still pays employees crap, is anti-union, and doesn’t give a shit about the environment. But that’s another story.
Photo credit: Express Star
ShowMeGuy
If you EVER experience homophobia at a Walmart…call 1-800-WAL-MART and have that location’s “Store Number” handy. We do NOT tolerate such fauxmerican crap.
My walmart* store has a rainbow of associates; literally and figuratively. Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgendered….yes….Transgendered…work side by side with the Heterosexuals as full members of the associate team. And everyone in our store likes it that way. A very “gay friendly” place to work. Domestic partner benefits, discount cards, Family discount for Sam’s Club memberships, fitness center family discounts, ect, ect.
Walmart* does not hate Gay people…Chickasha,Oklahoma seems to have some issues with “The Gays”.
Dixie Rect
The same thing happened to me and my friend Olive Beegkok, Shay Vertwot and Craven Moorhead.
jckfmsincty
Just another good reason not to shop at Wal-Mart.
Kangol
@Dixie Rect:
Wow, some people have such disrespect for other gay people who suffer discrimination that they make fun of it.
Drecktastic, @Dixie Rect, and trolling in the worst way.
OutnProud
No retail store has the right to turn away customers based on their race, creed, or orientation. They should consider pursuing legal action
genioatrapado
well here in mexico there’s a lot of gay people working on wal-mart… ironic!
macmantoo
I don’t go to Walmart often, but when I do I make a habit of wearing my PRIDE hat. I live in a Republican section of Nevada but at 66 I’m not very afraid of anything and can hold my own anytime. So I wear my PRIDE hat as an “in your face” hat.
jwtraveler
I’m going to boycott Wal-Mart. Oh wait, I already do. I’ve never been to Wal-Mart.
Eiswirth
@Dixie Rect: Asshole.
iggy azalea
@Kangol: You have to, have to admit the whole cookie thing adds an element of the absurd to the whole thing that makes it somewhat comical. It’s like an unexpected punchline or something.
balehead
Walmart has alot of gay employees……They looking for money…smells fishy..
AuntieChrist
I am embarrassed to admit that I live in oklahomo. I was dragged here by my husband. Ya know job stuff. You can’t swing a dead cat without hittin a closet case. But OKC isn’t too bad. We go shopping and bicker like two old married people get more smiles than frowns. I don’t know from chicka whatever but this is the bible belt and there is a church every quarter mile. I never seen so many churches in my life! Churches and strip-malls. Why the movie Kill your Darlings won’t be playing here. I refuse to shop at wal-mart a gay has to draw the line somewhere LOL I am not surprised though we stopped there to eat once and went to the chicka whatever cultural center, got some negative vibes but no real attitude. The folks at the center were real nice until they figured out we were not going to buy something. Native Americans so you can’t blame them. I wanted a dream catcher but they were way overpriced.
AuntieChrist
Oh yea. oklahomo is a red state, Obama only got 32 or 36 percent of the vote. We were afraid to put an Obama sticker on the car. So yea. Not a very gay friendly place but not the worst I suspect.
Fawkes
@ShowMeGuy: You’re right. Wal-Mart doesn’t hate gay people specifically. It hates all people.
hyhybt
There is one thing in this article that nags at me: “When he went to alert two different managers about the incident, Pacheco says no action was taken: “They didn’t write anything down. They just kind of sent me away.”” How can they possibly know no action was taken? Right at that moment, with the customer still there, there’s nothing *to* do but apologize and say you’ll look into it. Anything else comes after they’ve left and needs to happen behind closed doors.
stranded
@iggy azalea:
I agree for some reason, the cookie aspect of the story made it comical.
Derek Williams
@ShowMeGuy: Good to know. Thanks.
AuntieChrist
Good news everybody. The local news here in oklahoma reports that the wal-mart employee in question has been fired. I mean let go. LOL
AuntieChrist
@balehead:I believe you are mistaken sir. Not a bad idea to check yourself before you jump to conclusions.
hotshot70
I once got a “handy” from a walmart worker. lol Once I was going to get a cart after I picked up one item (it was something cheap) and the “greeter” wanted to grab the item from me and take it to the checkout. I told him how I was just grabbing a cart. He kept trying to grab the item from me, so I finally said out loud “HEY! LET GO!” and a lot of people looked at him like he was a weirdo! I told the manager what happened, and I never saw that guy again!
AnitaMann
Why in the world would anyone want to be in a Wal-Mart?
HirsuteOne
The janitor at Walmart? Please. Tell the janitor to STFU and if he has a problem, go find the MOD. Let this happen to me. At least the hardware section is nearby so I can get him a hammer so he can go pound sand up his ass.