A transgender barista named Natalie Weiss at Cultiva Espresso & Crepes, in Lincoln, Nebraska, was fired after a profanity filled attack on a pro-life, pro-family activist named Marilyn Synek.
Weiss, 23, is a transgender who recognized a college graduate who works for the Nebraska Family Alliance and has completed a number of pro-life and conservative internships.
“One of my favorite weekly traditions is to start my day at 7 AM with a Cultiva breakfast,” Synek explained in a September 11 Facebook post. “I’ve done it loyally once a week since I moved to Lincoln. Today, an employee of the shop approached me and said, ‘Marilyn Synek! I didn’t recognize you until now, but I just realized who you are, what you stand for, and the work you do. You are f****** bigoted trash, and we do not want you in our restaurant. Over 80% of the people who work here are queer. You are not f****** wanted in our restaurant, so get out and don’t come back! If you do try to come back, we will all refuse any service to you.’ The cafe was busy with other customers who watched the incident transpire.”
Synek spoke out after the incident: “I’ve never broadcasted my political opinions in the shop before, and I have always treated the employees of Cultiva with respect and courtesy,” Synek continued. “While we, as Americans, can disagree politically, it is very important to maintain civility when interacting with people who hold different world views. Tolerance goes both ways, and the division in our current political climate will perpetuate if we neglect basic civility.”
Weiss confirmed to NBC News something “vulgar” along the lines of “get the f*** out” was yelled at Synek.
Natalie Weiss and Marilyn Synek
Here’s how the media reported on the incident:
The Advocate’s headline was “Trans Coffee Shop Worker Fired for Calling Out Right-Wing Customer”; NBC’s “Trans cafe worker fired after kicking out conservative activist.” The Hill’s was a little more measured: “Cafe fires trans worker who kicked out conservative activist while using ‘vulgar’ language.”
“The trans woman, Natalie Weiss, now says she [sic] knows she behaved inappropriately, but she points out that the customer’s organization, the Nebraska Family Alliance, would be just fine with businesses turning away LGBTQ people,” The Advocate reported.
“What I did was unprofessional, and I certainly would not want to be treated the way I treated that woman today,” Weiss said in an interview with the Lincoln Journal Star. “The fact of the matter is, that person and her political allies advocate for that type of behavior to be legal, and they do it every single year in the legislature.”
“For those keeping track, in Nebraska, you can be fired or lose your home because you identify in the LGBT2QIA+ umbrella, and you can also be fired for telling people who fight for that status quo to get lost,” what was written on Facebook.
Butter Bracco - Roxanne "Butter" Bracco began with the Dispatch as Pittsburgh Correspondent, but will be providing reports and insights from Washington DC, Maryland and the surrounding region.
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