Man Fired From Chili’s for Harassing Nonbinary Co-Worker by Refusing to Use Their Preferred Name

A Louisiana man claims he was fired from his job at Chili’s for calling a nonbinary employee by their “legal government name.” However, the restaurant chain says he was let go for repeatedly harassing, antagonizing and bullying the employee.

On Saturday, July 11, Wesley Kirk Ford Jr. posted on Facebook that he had been fired from the Denham Springs Chili’s he worked at. He also shared a video he alleges is of his manager explaining the exact issue that led to his termination. In the video, it is explained to Ford Jr. that he was being terminated for violating Chili’s harassment and inclusion policy stemming from a specific incident where he continued to call his co-worker by their dead name — the name they were born with but no longer identify by — despite being asked by both the coworker and management to use their preferred name.

Ford Jr. can be heard in the video laughing when the manager explains the coworker was “physically unable” to continue their shift after his repeated dead naming.

Speaking to Fox News, a spokesperson for Chili’s states that the incident that led to his termination was just the culmination of a pattern of harassment and antagonization.

“The individual was terminated due to repeated instances of harassment toward his fellow team member, which is in violation of our policies, to the point the team member was unable to continue the shift. The terminated individual was repeatedly asked to stop the harassing behavior, but he refused,” the spokesperson said.

“In this instance, the terminated team member excessively and unnecessarily mocked the other team member in an antagonizing manner to harass and intimidate,” the spokesperson continued. “This conduct was intentional, targeted, and designed to provoke a reaction. These repeated bullying actions created a hostile working environment and interfered with the ability to do their job.”

Meanwhile, in a follow-up video, Ford Jr., who refers to himself as “a warrior in this culture war fight,” says deadnaming his co-worker is his First Amendment right.

“I’m just getting too old, and I’m at a point in my life where I’m not participating in that [expletive] anymore,” he said. “I don’t care. I’m putting my foot down… Nobody can make me. Nobody is going to shame me into participating in it; you’re not going to force me by controlling my money… You will never shame me or force me into changing who the [expletive] I am. Period.”