Bartender ‘did not anticipate’ backlash on Pride flag at Downtown Fresno venue
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The bartender who first revealed that the Pride flag at Tioga-Sequoia Beer Garden in Downtown Fresno had been taken down says she never intended to incite a boycott or hatred.
The flag being removed from the Downtown Fresno venue was brought to the public’s attention by former bartender Makenna Christiansen, who posted about it on social media. She has since quit her job at Tioga-Sequoia Beer Garden.
‘Was it all just for money?’: Why this popular Pride event is leaving a Downtown Fresno venue
On Tuesday, Tioga-Sequoia Beer Garden confirmed that the business’ Pride flag had been removed the previous week and in a statement on social media apologized for doing so, adding that staff “feel remorse for this egregious misunderstanding.”
The pushback against the Downtown Fresno venue began when Makenna Christiansen posted on her Instagram feed that a person in charge of the Fresno and Merced beer gardens announced to staff that they had made a personal decision to remove the Pride flag that had hung on the Downtown Fresno location’s main bar for years.
Christiansen had said in her original series of posts that, despite hearing immediate upset from both staff and other managers, the manager responsible said the decision was made that they would not put the flag back up until the next Pride month.
Christiansen says her intention with her post was never to incite hate or a boycott of Tioga-Sequoia Beer Garden, but instead to highlight the disrespect the beer garden’s employees had been subjected to. She also wanted to highlight the importance of the Pride flag at Tioga-Sequoia Beer Garden as a symbol of inclusion.
“I did not anticipate innocent employees receiving backlash and had I been clearer maybe Tioga’s stance on LGBTQ+ visibility in our community wouldn’t be under such scrutiny.”
Christiansen says she does not condone any of the violence or threats that have come about, “especially toward members of a company I proudly worked for.”
“If I miscommunicated in my post, I’m truly sorry.”
She is calling for continued support for Tioga-Sequoia Beer Garden’s staff and collaborating vendors, “who don’t deserve to suffer financially nor socially.”
YourCentralValley.com has reached out to the manager responsible for taking down the Pride flag but did not receive a response in time for this article.
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