James Shawlin was doing some post-Thanksgiving shopping with his 4-year-old son, Oliver, when he says he was verbally assaulted by the antigay store manager of the Floor and Decor in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
The alleged incident happened last Friday. According to a local TV news station, Shawlin returned to the store with some damaged stone slabs he had purchased earlier.
“The manager that came over was not too happy,” Shawlin said. “You could tell he was not in a good mood.”
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The two men exchanged words.
“I was a little firm with him, and I just told him, ‘Hey, you know, my husband and I spend a lot of money here. We’ve been using you guys for ten years. We have $3,000 worth of stone,’” Shawlin explained. “And [the manager] goes, ‘Oh, that explains it now. The f*ggot that voted for Hillary.’”
Shawlin continued: “I’m 44, I’ve been out for a while, I grew up in rural Wisconsin, I’ve heard it all. But when you have a child that’s so young that doesn’t understand, it’s pretty traumatizing.”
He claims another customer who overheard the manager, then asked: “What are these f*ggots going to do to this child?”
Shawlin told his local news station that he quickly left the store with his son and called his husband in tears. When he got home, he took to Facebook to share what had happened:
So far, the post has received nearly 450 shares and over 500 comments. A spokesman for Floor and Decor said the company is taking Shawlin’s report “very seriously” and plans on conducting a thorough investigation into the matter.
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ChrisK
Well, if it’s to be believed it sounds like the Manager is going to be looking for a new job very soon. Doesn’t sound like he wanted to be there anyways.
Baba Booey Fafa Fooey
Gay people need to segregate. People may not agree with that, but I don’t know what’s not agree with. I hear the reasons and they just don’t seem good. I fully believe in and live by separatism and my life has vastly improved in every way: physically, emotionally, physiologically. Don’t knock it until you try it. Gay people deserve better and they should give themselves that opportunity by completely separating themselves from straight society. People do it anyway – races, religion, etc. Blacks live amongst blacks, Jews live amongst Jews, Asians with Asians, etc. If you’re gay and you don’t live in a gay district/area should really consider it. The naysayers don’t offer great opinions on it. Your well-being and safety are more important.
robho3
@Baba Booey Fafa Fooey: Oh so all the gays should be put in a gay ghettos like they did to the Jewish people in ww2? Wtf??? What has happened to our country? This is the kinda shit I’d expect in 1980 and 2016. I thought we had evolved as a society but I guess not.
1EqualityUSA
Segregate?…. and lose the opportunity to be an ambassador? Many change opinions of us when they get to know us.
Baba Booey Fafa Fooey
@robho3: @1EqualityUSA: I’m glad that you feel the way you feel because that means you won’t be moving anywhere near a gay district. And, that’s great for everyone.
Heywood Jablowme
@Baba Booey Fafa Fooey: @1EqualityUSA: @robho3: Many or most gay guys self-“segregate” for awhile when we’re young. When you’re 23 it’s liberating and exciting to live in a gay neighborhood. But you probably need 2 or 3 roommates to do it. Whatever else you can say about gay “ghettos” they tend to be expensive, as ghettos go. At 23 it’s fun but at 33 not so fun, and by 43 even if you’re single you probably have totally different priorities.
ChrisK
@Heywood Jablowme: Hey you talking about me! When you’re that age you’re going out practically 24/7. Makes sense to live around the watering holes ie the bars.
ChrisK
I stopped going out when i had to start paying for the drinks. More practical really. That was many years ago.
JerseyMike
time to go to yelp and their website to check out the ratings…
ChrisK
https://www.yelp.com/biz/floor-and-decor-highlands-ranch-2
John
This is “his” side of the story, what is the “other side”? I am sure it is not exactly as he recounts. I learned long ago the truth is somewhere between both sides.
John
@JerseyMike: So before we know the whole story we should pile on and trash a business before we know the whole story?
captainburrito
@Baba Booey Fafa Fooey: I’m chinese and even 1st generation immigrants know that they need to participate in wider society to achieve success. They might not be able to do it if they are illegals or lack english language skills but they realize the importance of this for their children.
Boycott businesses where practical by all means. Segregating ourselves is social suicide and would dial back progress that has been made.
Musk
@Baba Booey Fafa Fooey: If you’re not white and Christian, perhaps you can tell us what you are — and where you live.
Transiteer
FLOOR & DECOR. Spread the word. Boycott this place. Better get ready to write down a long list of these hateful bigoted business that still take your cash. DO NOT support any. Spread the word.
JerseyMike
@John: AZZWIPE.. did I say anywhere in my post I was going to trash the site. RIF
Tête Carrée
@ChrisK:
What were you before you had to pay for drinks? A prostitute?
Baba Booey Fafa Fooey
@Musk: No way.
Baba Booey Fafa Fooey
@captainburrito: I hear you and make great points but I still fall back on seperatism and believe in it. Why is that? Because integrating doesn’t work. China bans Islamic refugees. There is zero Islamic influence in China and they don’t care because they know that letting them in would be a disaster. But, you make great points but there mant of us that choose to live amongst only LGBT people. And, that’s their right.
GayEGO
@Baba Booey Fafa Fooey: Perhaps in some states, but in Massachusetts where my lifetime partner of 54 years, married 12 years, live in a regular over-55 community that accepts us as a normal married couple. We have many friends, gay and straight, married and single, and there is no reason for separatism here.
ymck
Well someone is looking for a new job… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/floor-and-decor-homophobia_us_583c76dee4b01ba68ac578b1
ErikO
This sounds fake, and this guy who claims he was called a fag just wants money and media attention, and he’s a sore loser since Hillary lost as he’s a conformist gay.
ErikO
@Baba Booey Fafa Fooey: People tried that in the 70s with gay ghettos and it did not work, and a lot of the people who lived in them were extremely conformist and not well adjusted people. The idea that LGBT people need segregation is silly.
Baba Booey Fafa Fooey
@ErikO: It’s silly to you. Not me and many others. I feel it works and it does work. Countries that isolate do well – look at China. And, you can’t argue against a super power that very much isolates like that.
And, I have to say that there are a lot of gay people who are saddened thst San Fransisco, particularly the Castro is getting taken over by heterosexuals. From what I gather, and it’s just my impression from these replies here that the people arguing against it aren’t familiar with it or the way of life. It’s just my impression. I know that the idea of gay people living together in a segregated community is some gay oeople’s worst nightmare because of homophobia. Which is great because they’ll never move anywhere near a gay district, and situations like what this gay man experienced in fron of his child will not happen. But, aside from that, the fervor. from gay people of wanting to and desiring to break off from the rest of society has been around for decades. But, it is my impression here that many here don’t understand this way of life and just judge it very superficially. Which is fine because that’s what I expected.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_Nation
Baba Booey Fafa Fooey
@ErikO: And, I would like links backing up your claims, please. Gay people who were conformist and not well adjusted people.
Alistair Wiseman
@Transiteer:
Have you ever thought to wait for the facts to come out? For a response or action(s) from the store?
No, it is always slash and burn with the Left.
That employee has since been fired from Floor and Decor.
Billysees
@1EqualityUSA:
” Segregate?…. and lose the opportunity to be an ambassador? Many change opinions of us when they get to know us. ”
Of course.