Wesley Kirk Ford Jr., a former employee at a Louisiana Chili's, went viral after alleging on social media that he was fired for refusing to use a nonbinary coworker's preferred pronouns. Ford stated he referred to the coworker by her "actual legal government name" rather than her "chosen name," which he said was "Fish." He also mentioned he had never been fired or disciplined before.

However, Chili's disputes Ford's characterization of the events. A spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "While we normally do not comment on people-related matters, we believe it is important to clarify the actions taken in this situation." The restaurant stated that Ford 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."

Chili's further explained that Ford repeatedly mocked and intimidated the coworker despite being asked to stop. Ford indicated he would provide more details later, expressing frustration over the incident.

This incident highlights ongoing tensions in workplaces regarding pronoun usage and harassment policies.

Sources