Subway has been accused of religious discrimination against Christians after a Wisconsin establishment refused to serve customers because of anti-abortion and anti-gay messages on its T-shirts.
Street preacher David Grisham was in town for the Republican National Convention when he and three friends walked into a Waunakee branch of the fast-food franchise to buy a sandwich.
But they were forced to go elsewhere when a young woman behind the counter confirmed she was refusing to serve the group because of the messages on their T-shirts.
The world’s largest restaurant operator has now been hit by an onslaught of angry comments from Christians after video of the exchange went viral, with some warning the company it risks a Bud Light-style boycott.
“I don’t care what kind of response Subway gets,” one wrote. “I will never set foot in one of their filthy little stores again.”
The young subway employee sparked fury on the Internet after refusing to serve the group of Christians
The waitress at the Wisconsin establishment said she objected to the messages on the shirts.
Grisham, of Amarillo, Texas, insisted that his group was “not trying to deliberately antagonize anybody,” with its neon T-shirts bearing slogans such as “abortion is murder” and a paraphrase of Romans I, denouncing gay sex as a sin.
“A local pastor was inviting us to dinner and we had only been inside for less than a minute and hadn’t said a word to anyone,” he wrote on Facebook.
‘She just looked at our shirts and swore and said she wouldn’t serve us.
‘REASONABLE people are reasonable when it comes to differences of opinion and are professional enough to serve someone without letting their emotions go into elementary school yard mode and complaining publicly.’
Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits restaurants from discriminating against customers on the basis of religion.
But in 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that Denver baker Jack Phillips was within his rights to reject an order for a wedding cake celebrating the marriage of a same-sex couple.
The American Civil Liberties Union said the baker was advocating a “license to discriminate” that could have wide-ranging repercussions beyond gay rights.
But in a landmark case, the court ruled 7 to 2 that his refusal was protected by constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and opinion and the free exercise of religion.
In the video, titled ‘Subway Karen Refusing Service to Christians in Wanaukee, Wisconsin’ (sic), the woman behind the counter nods as a voice asks her, ‘Are you refusing to serve customers?’
Street preacher David Grisham of Amarillo, Texas, denied that he and his group were trying to be provocative with their T-shirts denouncing abortion and gay sex.
In 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that Denver baker Jack Phillips was within his rights to reject an order for a wedding cake celebrating the marriage of a same-sex couple.
“She refuses to serve us,” the man tells his friend.
“What are you talking about?” the friend asks. “Do we have to go somewhere else?”
“I want you to say it again,” says the man filming.
“I’m refusing service,” the woman confirms as she continues preparing another customer’s sandwich.
When asked why, she says, “That’s a personal matter,” before her frustrated customer asks, “Because of my shirt?”
“Yes,” she answers.
“Okay, I’m sure Subway Corp would love to hear that,” the man says.
Subway franchise River Subs, which operates 48 locations, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month, and some former customers seem determined that others will now follow suit.
“Subway, I recommend you get ahead of this!” wrote one. “It looks really, really ugly and Taco Bell is right across the street. Easy to change.”
“Does Subway discriminate against people who wear hijab, yamaka or other religious symbols?” asked another.
“If you were wearing a gay pride shirt and an employee refused to serve you, in some states they would call the police for discrimination,” said a third.
“I work at Subway in Dawson Springs,” wrote Laura Gray from Kentucky, “and whenever you’re in the area, you’re welcome to come here.”
The world’s largest restaurant operator has now been hit by an onslaught of angry comments from Christians, with some warning the company risks a Bud Light-style boycott.
But not all Christians were sympathetic to Grisham and his friends, who posed for a photo outside the branch in their T-shirts immediately afterward.
“Subway will not take your side, nor will any reasonable person,” wrote one.
“I always find it hilarious when people like you deliberately try to provoke people to get a reaction. You are not Christians in any sense.”
“I would rather have some kind of radical love displayed in the name of Christ here in Waunakee than have a traveling show of provocateurs tripping around here,” another wrote.
Dailymail.com has contacted Subway for comment.