Ok so I got really pissed at work yesterday (not like visibly but I was pissed). My bosses were shockingly homophobic and I was kind of taken aback. Here's what happened: So I guess there's this gay couple who comes in every once in a while and they were there yesterday. When they pulled in, our pizza master said "oh, it's number one coming to pick up their order" and my official boss was like "no it's the gays for the lasagna" and she told someone to tell our main waitress that the gays were there. So the girl yells back (the guys were not in the restaurant at this point) "Rosa, the gays want to see you!" and they were literally referred to as the gays whenever they were talked about in the kitchen. It was annoying, but I wasn't super mad yet. They came up to the counter to pay and nobody was really paying attention so our pizza master was like "hey Jess, are you gonna ring them up" and another girl was like "oh I already rang up the 3 guys for the pizza" and the pizza master whispered "no the fags" and that's when I just walked away. It's complicated, though. The pizza master's first language is Italian, so I'm not sure if he completely understands the meaning and the stigma behind that word. I don't really know what to think. My official boss was defending bi people like two weeks ago when the owner of the place was saying something stupid about it (he tends to say stupid things a lot...he never means it in a mean way, he's just like that..). They've talked about people being gay and seemed really accepting. I don't understand. I don't know how to take it and I don't really know what to do at this point.
Hmm...hard to say, if, as you point out, English isn't a first/native language. Does he do or say anything else that might imply that he's homophobic? Or is this the only thing? Regardless, though, one would hope that he'd at least be willing to put that kind of thing away at work. I don't know what the LGBT worker protection laws are in Pennsylvania, but it could be worth talking to someone about it - if not the pizza master himself, then someone either right above him, or right below him, in the employment hierarchy there. Was there any reaction when you left after his last comment?
He doesn't really say much usually, so I wouldn't know what his views are. No reaction, I made it look like I was just going back into the kitchen to see if I needed to do anything. He isn't really the boss, his son owns the place. Nobody can make pizza as well and as fast as he can, at least, nobody around here haha
