Andy Ternay and his partner went to a café in Texas to order food. But the manager asked them to leave because of Ternay’s shirt.
Ternay shared the story on Facebook, saying the manager told them other customers were upset about his shirt, worrying that kids might see it. Ternay said he understood but didn’t like having to talk to his daughter about the shirt either.
The shirt had strong words against Trump and his supporters on the front and against the alt-right on the back.
Ternay said the manager told them some customers were upset because of his shirt. Ternay didn’t think his shirt was a problem, but things got worse when they were asked to leave after ordering drinks and food.
“We wanted to tip our server for using her table, get drinks to take away, and leave. A table of white people clapped,” Ternay said. In the parking lot, a black server told him he quit because he saw Ternay being asked to leave. He said, “You should hear these people asking not to sit near Muslims.”
Ternay told The Daily Beast that people of color liked his shirt. He said, “A Latino lady at the register thanked me, and two African American servers said my shirt was awesome.”
Ternay explained that he wore the shirt to show his beliefs to his friends, neighbors, and family. He said, “I want people of color, Muslims, LGBTQ [people], immigrants not to feel alone. White men should use their privilege to help others and speak up against powerful people.”
After leaving the restaurant, Ternay talked to a police officer in the parking lot. He asked if she was there because of his shirt. She confirmed and asked for his name, but he didn’t give it. He mentioned a court case from 1971 that said people have the right to wear shirts with strong messages. The officer then just told him to leave.
The restaurant’s head office told The Daily Beast why they asked Ternay to leave. They said customers complained about his shirt’s strong language, which made families with kids uncomfortable.
Ternay said he doesn’t plan to criticize or avoid the restaurant. His Facebook post about what happened got a lot of attention, with over 42,000 shares. He’s worried about how the African American community might feel. He said, “I’ve received sad messages from African Americans saying they’ve lost trust in their white neighbors. They’re not sure their neighbors support them anymore. My shirt was a way to show they’re not alone.”