A Gay Florida Server Introduced His Boyfriend To His Boss & The Next Day He Was Fired — 'We're Not That Kind Of Establishment'
Justin Olmo says he was fired for being gay after just two days on the job at Sioux City Steakhouse in Florida. People are urging him to "lawyer up."
ProStockStudio / Shutterstock; JulieK's Images, abluecup, Syda Productions / Canva Florida used to be world famous for its tropical climate, beaches and theme parks. But in recent years it's become infamous for its vicious legislative attacks on LGBTQ+ people and their rights.
It's easy to dismiss this as simply the bombastic cruelty of opportunistic politicians, but a Florida server's recent experience shows the reality of the situation: how unsafe LGBTQ+ people really are in a state that was once a haven for them.
Server Justin Olmo says he was fired for being gay after introducing his boyfriend to his boss.
Since Republican Governor Ron DeSantis was elected in 2019 and began enacting a slate of legislative attacks on the state's LGBTQ+ community, there has been a spike in anti-LGBTQ+ hatred all over the country, especially online, as well as a sharp rise in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes and harassment people — not just in Florida, but all over the country.
The anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in Florida goes far beyond the antics going on in the Florida statehouse in Tallahassee, and server Justin Olmo recently dealt with it up close and personal at his former job, Sioux City Steakhouse in New Port Richey, Florida.
Olmo was told 'we're not that kind of establishment' after bringing his boyfriend into the restaurant and was then fired after his second shift.
Olmo had just begun training at Sioux City Steakhouse back in August of 2023, and during his break during his second shift he invited his boyfriend to join him for his meal. He says his manager approached him to ask who his guest was, and when he told him it was his boyfriend, "he just walked away."
Olmo's follow-up phone calls to get his work schedule for the rest of his training period were ignored or brushed off. After two days of getting no answers, he went into the restaurant personally, where he was met with a manager who told him, "We're sorry but we're not that kind of establishment."
When Olmo questioned what that meant, he says the manager told him, "This just really isn't a good fit for you or us."
After Olmo's story about being fired for being gay went viral, Sioux City Steakhouse made claims about his firing that Olmo says are lies.
In a follow-up video, Olmo thanked social media users for the outpouring of support he received after his video about being fired went viral. That outpouring seems to have had an underbelly too, however.
"Because it's been a few days and the post has blown up so much, the restaurant's had time now to make excuses and come up with 'real' reasons as to why they fired me," Olmo said.
The restaurant claimed they fired Olmo for a "no call no show" so that he could go see a football game, to which Olmo replied, "I hate football and I never watch it." They also claimed Olmo had started a GoFundMe to profit off his firing, which never happened. "I don't want anyone's money," Olmo said.
The restaurant's claims also resulted in online harassment by other Sioux City Steakhouse employees. Olmo says the steakhouse shut down its Facebook comments after receiving backlash for its claims, and it has continued to limit comments on all of its posts as of this writing.
Despite its politicial climate, anti-LGBTQ+ employment discrimination is illegal in Florida, and many have urged Olmo to 'lawyer up.'
As disastrous as Florida's political climate is for LGBTQ+ people, both the state and federal governments have issued protections for queer people when it comes to employment discrimination, and people on social media have urged Olmo to throw the proverbial book at his former employer.
Florida's agency that enforces civil rights law ruled in January 2021 that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations is illegal.
That decision came on the heels of an Executive Order by President Joe Biden addressing such discrimination, which itself cited the Supreme Court's 2020 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, in which it determined that the Civil Rights Act of 1964's prohibition of discrimination on the basis of "sex" applies to sexual orientation and gender identity.
All of which is to say: Olmo all but certainly has a legal case if discrimination can be proven. In his follow-up video, Olmo said he is eager to "move away from this" and "find a better job and be with better people."
But his complete social media silence since the incident in August could be an indication that he has, in fact, obtained legal counsel.
Hopefully he has done just that. As Olmo said in his video, "It's pretty sad that this still happens, but it's to be expected, especially in Florida at this time." But for now, the rule of law still exists. Here's hoping it works as it's intended to and gives Olmo and his former employer what they deserve.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.