Denham Springs, Louisiana Chili’s employee says he was fired after pronoun dispute, company says termination was for harassment

Denham Springs, Louisiana Chili’s employee says he was fired after pronoun dispute, company says termination was for harassment

A dispute over preferred pronouns at a Chili’s restaurant in Denham Springs has gone viral after a former employee claimed he was fired for refusing to use a coworker’s preferred pronouns.

Wesley Kirk Ford Jr. said he was terminated after repeatedly referring to a nonbinary coworker by what he described as the person’s legal name and biological pronouns. In a video shared online, Ford said he stood by his beliefs, declaring, “You will never force or shame me into changing.”

However, Chili’s parent company says the firing was not based solely on Ford’s beliefs.

According to Brinker International, Ford was terminated for repeated conduct that violated company policy. The company alleges he repeatedly mocked and intimidated a coworker after being asked to stop, describing the issue as workplace harassment rather than simply a disagreement over pronouns.

The incident has sparked heated debate online over free speech, religious beliefs, workplace policies, and protections for transgender and nonbinary employees. Supporters of Ford argue he was punished for standing by his convictions, while others say employers have a responsibility to prevent harassment in the workplace.

The controversy also comes as Louisiana has adopted laws affecting pronoun policies in some government workplaces. Those laws generally do not apply to private employers like Chili’s, which establish their own workplace policies subject to federal employment law.

As of now, no lawsuit has been publicly announced. The incident continues to generate widespread discussion on social media, with strong opinions being expressed on both sides of the debate.

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