In Wichita, Kansas, a 19-year-old waiter, Noah Bierig, faced a shocking act of homophobia when a customer wrote a slur on a receipt instead of leaving a tip. The incident occurred two weeks ago on a Sunday at Bubba’s 33, where Bierig was serving a group of young men. One customer, who appeared to be fixated on Bierig’s painted nails and pride bracelet, left the offensive message, “f-g,” on the receipt.
Emotional impact
Bierig, deeply affected by the incident, told KAKE News, “That hurt me a lot. I’m not the type to cry at work, but I gotta say, that was definitely the first time that had happened to me.”
He explained that the pride bracelet he was wearing was a gift from his mother when he came out as gay six years ago. Despite the taunts and dirty looks from the customers, Bierig chose to serve the table as he would any other.
“I looked at one of their receipts and I noticed that it had a certain three-letter derogatory term written on it,” he recounted. After the incident, one of Bierig’s friends shared the receipt online, revealing the customer’s name and the slur. This post quickly garnered widespread attention, with many condemning the customer’s actions and demanding an apology.
Apology from the customer
James Blick, the customer responsible for the slur, later issued an apology on Facebook. “I know it was wrong of me to write what I did,” he admitted, claiming that his overall dining experience “wasn’t that great,” but acknowledging that “I shouldn’t have dealt with it by saying what I did.” Blick described the incident as a “valuable lesson” and mentioned his unsuccessful attempts to contact the restaurant to apologize directly to Bierig. “I am very sorry to anyone who was affected or hurt by my words,” he added.
Community support
Following the incident, Bierig’s friends created an online fund to support him via Proud of Wichita, the LGBTQ+ chamber of business in the town. However, Bierig graciously declined to accept any of the funds, stating, “Whatever comes out from that, it’s going to be donated.” Reacting to the overwhelming support, Bierig said, “It’s absolutely insane. I never thought anything like this would happen based on just a couple of Facebook posts from my friends and family.” The incident, while deeply hurtful, has highlighted the importance of community and the impact of standing against discrimination.