Gay couple faces discrimination at Safeway, employee terminated

A Safeway employee was terminated after harassing a gay couple the same day as the D.C. Pride parade, as reported by Metro Weekly.

Brendan Harrington and his partner Jason Morgan were in the check-out line June 11 when the cashier reportedly said “Oh God, they’re faggots.”

They asked her to repeat herself, and she replied, “You guys are f***ing faggots.” The cashier, named Deangelah, admitted to the incident in a brief video apology.

”I’ve never been called a ‘fag’ ever in my entire life,” Harrington said. ”It was absolutely appalling.”

After several days of public pressure and contact from Harrington and Morgan, the employee was terminated on June 16.

”This goes against everything we believe and practice in terms of serving and welcoming our customers, and in being a part of the diverse communities we are privileged to serve,” said Craig Muckle, manager of public affairs and public relations at Safeway’s Eastern Division, in a statement to Metro Weekly.

These results came after the couple made multiple phone calls to the store to speak with the manager and eventually sought legal guidance. They filed a complaint with the D.C. Office of Human Rights on June 1.