An employee of the Taco John's was reportedly forced to wear a name tag that read "gaytard."
The alleged incident at Taco John's caught the attention of PFLAG President Sherri Rodgers-Conti. The group stands for parents, family and friends of lesbians and gays.
"People have to feel safe in their lives and their workplace. And they need to be able to feel safe when they are at work to be the best employee that they can be," said Rodgers-Conti.
Rodgers-Conti says we've come a long way with equality but obviously we have a long way to go. She says when you are harassed in the workplace for being gay or perceived as gay, that is not acceptable.
"I don't know anyone who would think that the harassment this young mad had to endure is the right thing. And so we'll be a little bit more aware that unfortunately these things are still still happening. We can't just hide our heads in the sand and think that everything is great because when things like this are happening that we know about, how many things are happening that we're not hearing about," said Rodgers-Conti.
"That would never fly here --absolutely not. That is the rawest form of bad behavior for an owner," said Ugofsky.
"To me it's telling -- the manager was approving of his employees and even customers to treat him differently because of what his sexuality was by making a point to point it out and make fun of it," said Kylie Lemke, cosmetologist at Xtreme Salon & Spa.
"My greatest hope is that he will recognize that that's not right. That's not human compassion no matter what sexual preference anybody has. What their hair looks like, what kind of clothes they wear, how smart they are, their age -- nobody should have to be ridiculed or broken down," said Ugofsky.
Ugofksy says as a business owner you must uplift your employees and make them feel worthwhile. She says she hopes this sparks some type of conversation about what is and isn't acceptable in the work place.
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