Yankton Taco Johns purchased after gay slur incident

The story broke during the South Dakota Democratic Party convention as Yankton went under the national civil rights microscope for an incident that should have shamed the entire state and not just one town.

Chris is a delegate from Yankton County: he represented the LGBTQ community at a convention largely devoid of West River participation (ip photo).

The Yankton franchise came under fire in June when Tyler Brandt, a former employee, alleged the store’s manager forced him to wear a nametag that read “GAYTARD.” Management at the restaurant claimed Brandt wore the nametag on his own accord. In September, the South Dakota chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and co-counsel Stephanie E. Pochop filed a lawsuit in Sioux Falls with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against Taco John’s of Yankton, Inc., and Taco John’s International, Inc. The Yankton store has seen an Internet backlash since the June incident was made public. On Google, the restaurant currently pulls a 1.4 star rating with a number of negative reviews referencing the incident. [Rob Nielsen, Yankton Press and Dakotan]

Read Tyler Brandt's story here.

Stand w Tyler! Watch as he describes the humiliation he endured at @tacojohns- just bc he is gay. http://t.co/g54GH5FeG8
— ACLU South Dakota (@ACLUSD) September 24, 2014