Fast food restaurants are always looking for convenient ways to make your life easier, and a Taco John’s in South Dakota has come up with a remarkable new innovation.
The Yankton restaurant made a 16-year-old employee named Tyler Brandt wear a nametag reading “Gaytard,” making it simple and convenient for consumers to identify Tyler as a retarded homosexual. Great idea!
Tyler claims the manager forced him to endure lots of abuse, and didn’t want to jeopardize his job so he went along with it, miserably. Finally, after the nametag ordeal, he quit.
Why didn’t he quit sooner? Who knows. We can probably assume that he wasn’t looking forward to a lifetime of satisfying employment with Taco John’s, but for whatever reason he stuck around, emboldening his abuser until things reached a breaking point with the name tag.
The manager claims that Tyler wanted the nickname, which definitely sounds true. Yes sir, absolutely.
To their credit, when the corporate office found out about all this, they were not amused. They called it “deplorable,” promised nothing like it would ever happen again, and arranged to have the manager chopped up and made into 200 delicious tacos. Just kidding! He was probably fired or something; they didn’t say.
But of course, Tyler doesn’t have much legal recourse here. South Dakota doesn’t have any workplace protection for LGBTs, so managers are free to fire someone just for thinking they might be gay-ish.
The real question, of course, is why would anyone in their right mind eat a taco in South Dakota.
H/t: Gay Star News
Jinkx Monsoon
The minute he started to endure abuse like that he lost his case, to me anyway, I’m not from American, but, surely 6$ a hour is not enough to take that sort of abuse, from a probable closeted ‘gaytard’ himself.
Let’s hope this isn’t one of those cry wolf incidents that never go well for the gay community and what it’s trying to achieve.
Cam
@Jinkx Monsoon:
So you blame the victim. He needed a job, he got one, and started to get abused and eventually quit and yet you want to turn this around and say it’s his fault. Your agenda is very clear.
I bet you also think rape is a woman’s fault because she shouldn’t be outside of her house without a male relative.
DB75
There are two sides to every story. We need to make sure we have all of the information before we make any assumptions. We have seen recently that things we get upset about may not always be true – the KFC girl, for example. It is wise to remain calm until both sides say their peace.
If this did occur, then the management should bear the responsibility for insulting this young man and demeaning him in front of customers.
If this did not occur as told and the young man is looking for attention – shame on him and I hope the restaurant can recover and that this does not hurt their business.
RIGay
DB75; my thoughts exactly. The hoax gets uncovered in 3…2….1….
hyhybt
“he real question, of course, is why would anyone in their right mind eat a taco in South Dakota.”—Because they’re in South Dakota and hungry?
I’m thinking that if this were a hoax then the manager wouldn’t know of the nametag, rather than saying the guy liked wearing it.
LubbockGayMale
As a gay he has no protection, but as a ‘retard’ he has very many options to gain satisfaction. The local MHMR group should be notified, and a legal action filed ASAP.
Cam
@DB75:
Could people actually read the article before trying to claim this is probably a hoax.
You seem to have missed the part where it said “The manager claims that Tyler wanted the nickname,” i.e. the manager admitted it, the corporate office verified it and said it would never happen again.
Mezaien
What can anyone expected for mentally ill Christian, state like S, Dakota.
SteveDenver
Whether management created the tag and forced the employee to wear it or employees created the tags and wore them voluntarily, the correct action would be for the manager to order an employee to remove the tag because it would reflect poorly on the national franchise.
As far as believability: I can’t imagine a gay teen wanting to wear the label “Gaytard” in SOUTH DAKOTA.
Dakotahgeo
@hyhybt: I originally grew up in NORTH Dakota, and there is NO difference between the two States regarding “DUMB” when it comes to upper management! A High School Diploma from either State guarantees: 1) A proof of graduation; and 2) A valuable Passport OUT of these two States. It is a final escape into a world of possibilities beyond milking cows and raising grain crops. There is a tremendous outflow of young people, unless they get a job in the new oilfield boom! And you know what kind of people that industry attracts?!
hyhybt
@Dakotahgeo: I don’t understand how my post could provoke that kind of response. The nearest I came to praising the state was to say that people there get hungry like anywhere else.
Dakotahgeo
@hyhybt: What I was addressing was the sheer idiocy of the entire incident, but it WOULD happen up there, taco or no taco. But your comment is understandable and accepted. Probably parallel thought patterns on different tracks.
hyhybt
@Dakotahgeo: Ah, OK. Thanks.
Teeth
Sounds like a mix of joke-and-bullying-and-self-deprication-and remorse. He’s at that age where self identity is ever-fluid. (no pun intended).. and what was funny on Monday was devastating by Wednesday. Anyone with a teen in their life knows this story.
Lvng1tor
God I hope he didn’t make this up.
Sean
Satire and sarcasm in the article aside… the kid clearly would NOT have asked for it. The Dakotas aren’t exactly the hotbeds of liberalism and noted for their acceptance of the LGBT community… and the manager probably was a completely bigoted a$$hole. Like other posters have said, let’s wait until the dust settles and see how this plays out. I hope the kid does have some recourse if, in fact, the story is true and the manager is a complete prick!! If it turns out to be another bogus KFC-like story… well, Taco John’s can sue the kid for defamation!!
Either way, I see bad PR for Taco John’s!!
DickieJohnson
@Mezaien: Your nametag should read “Nazi Gaytard”.
EGO
Now that both Dakotas have LGBT lawsuits for marriage equality, it won’t be too long before they will be accepting marriage equality, if for nothing else, it will cost them more money if they don’t change. :>)