Publix Supermarket officials are apologizing after an employee at a store in central Florida told a customer they could not write a phrase supporting the transsexual community on a cake.
The incident happened at a store in Orlando, where Yasmin Flasterstein from the non-profit group Peer Support Space was making care packages for the trans community and stopped by the store to get a cake, NBC affiliate WESH reported.
Request was to write ‘Trans people deserve joy’
“We went to the bakery associate and asked him if he could write ‘Trans people deserve joy’ on it. He looked a little bit confused,” she said.
An associate and the bakery manager said they could not write trans because “it would be taking a stance, and that Publix isn’t allowed to take a stance on the issue.”
Flasterstein, who is a non-trans person, said both she and the group’s co-founder, who is trans, were shocked.
“You told a trans person to their face that they’re not worthy of joy,” Flasterstein said. “That’s a stance.”
Staff gave icing to customer to write quote herself
She said the staff left space on the cake and gave her icing to write it herself.
“I do think that the bakery manager wanted to write ‘Trans people deserve joy’ on the cake. It seemed like she was on the brink of crying. I could see like tears in her eyes,” she said.
“So it really did seem like it was out of her control.”
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Publix issues a public apology
Publix later responded to a comment on social media with the following:
“We are sorry that our associates did not handle your request appropriately. Please message us for more details, and we will gladly make the cake.”
Flasterstein said she was appreciative of the apology and said she would like to see more.
“I would like for Publix to be accountable to whatever their policy is that could have caused confusion and to do something to share to the team that they are allowed to say any community deserves joy,” she said.
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