Last year Chrissy Polis was beaten nearly to death while an employee laughed and filmed it. McDonald's corporation ignored a 150,000 people who signed a petition requesting that Corporate instigate a company wide transgender education awareness program for their employees.Just recently another transgender person suffered at a McDonald's restaurant. Ranae Cole Vogelsong wasn't physically attacked, but was repeatedly humiliated, intentionally by one of the owners employees, in front of other patrons while in line. Words hurt, they can even kill. The pain Ranae suffer at this McDonald's was inflicted maliciously, the employee assaulting her in such a way as to leave a permanent scar on her soul, which is the same intention as the people who attacked Chrissy.
Ranae Cole Vogelsong writes about the incident at the McDonald's located inside the Love's Gas Station Marion IN on February 29
"Myself being a transgender person living 24/7 as myself, I was inline at the register to place my order as theDespite numerous attempts the owner has not offered Ranae the one thing that would help her to recover, an apology. That's, all a simple "I'm sorry you were made to feel bad."young lady behind the counter looked up and with out holding anything back busted out laughing at my face with another costumer standing next to me. Totally embarrassed as she tried to control herself I placed my order. She is still letting out little smirks. I filled my iced tea cup came back to the counter and got my food went to leave and as I rounded the corner of the archway she again started to laugh loudly."
"I felt degraded, embarrassed, disrespected and very humiliated. Went out to my semi truck and cried from the utter dis-respect and the making me feel so belittled in front of other fellow drivers and the public.
Ranae was again disrespected as the owner told her not to "Make a mountain out of a molehill".
This incident is the result of corporate McDonald's refusal to take social responsibility and leaves us with only one avenue to respond. We need to address each and every one of these incidents individually with force, making it clear to the owners, if their employees should disrespect or assault our community there will be consequences. Other McDonald's owners will take note of our outrage and seek to avoid such incidents.
***Update*** The owner of the McDonald's store, Rick Reichenbach returned my call. Mr. Reichenbach offered a much different accounting of the events proceeding the incident, but did not deny it happened. However, unfortunately Mr. Reichenbach declined to go on record or to offer a statement. That is too bad because if what Mr. Reichenbach offered was in fact the truth it would put this incident in a different light and I would be obligated as a blogger of integrity to relay it accurately to you.
But it begs the question, why did Mr. Reichendach call me, a blogger, columnist and activist to discuss this if his intention was not to go on record?
Check out Boycott Non-Transgender friendly McDonald's in Marion, Ind
And please contact the office and owner of the McDonald's, Rick & Rhonda Reichenbach dba:
M-R Partnership
618 North Meridian Street
Portland, IN 47371
(260) 726-6518
McDonald's Corporation:
1-800-244-6227
7 days a week
7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. CST
7 comments:
I just called the office asking for a statement and was told Mr Reichenbach would return my call.
4/17/2012 0945
I too was laughed at, right to my face in my local McDonalds in Nottingham UK.
I was too naive to do anything about it, i just kept smiling as the little bitch behind the counter took my hard earned money and laughed at me some more.
You should totally blog what the manager told you off record. Forget being nice about it. You were made to feel like shit, dont let them keep any dignity!!!
This restaurant should remove EOEE from its policy because it surely shows that they are not. If they are not equal to their patrons, I am sure they are not with employment. It is obvious that this establishment only cares about money and it is high time they start sharing that money in the form of a law suit. Until that time Mr. Reichenbach will only do what matters to him and that is "BUSINESS"
You should be ashamed to equating laughter with assault. It diminishes the experience of people who are actually assaulted. If you think being laughed at is just the same as being assaulted, then you've obviously never been assaulted. Try to get a grip and be more honest in your headlines and characterization of what happened. Does it suck when someone is rude? Yes. Sure. Is it assault? Not hardly.
You should not assume I that I have not been physically assaulted. Have you ever been verbally humiliated while in a public place like this? You should become more sensitive to a number of points. One this was a malicious attack that remains unreconciled. 2. The Mcdonald's corporation could not guarantee this would not happen by instituting a transgender awareness program could have or at least made a attempt to become socially responsible after the Chrissy Polis attack, but choose not to. 3. Down playing attacks such as this was with words, is to diminish our communities value as I assure you. words do kill.
4. This kind of incident by Mcdonald's employees is not unique to the US. You don't have to go any further than a comment on this article to begin to understand it is a world wide crisis, unless you choose to remain ignorant, as McDonald's has.
Finally, if you feel advocacy of this nature is 'glib' then I suggest you need not read it.
The article is done to help a sister transgender trucker, a profession I spent decades in. I know from experience she does not have many options on where she can stop, that Loves truck stop will probably remain a fuel stop and revisiting the smirks and possible laughter will become a part of her everyday life.
Let me ask you this Rose, have you ever spent a night in a tin shack, the kind that's attached to trucks? There is no safety in it or the time you spend walking to and from it in dark parking lots.
I know the feeling of fear as lights flash on and off and air horns blow as you walk. I know of the silence transgender truckers must endure because ignorant assholes have heard people treat LGBT people this way and out of boredom and a need to exert a pathetic sense of perceived superiority or latent homosexuality they will get on the CB, the only communication trans truckers have during the tedious hours on the road, and parrot foulness like what they witnessed in that Loves truck stop.
They are merciless.
Rose I hope you can now understand this sisters life is of no less value than ours simply because she is a trucker. This article is forthcoming, and credible and I stand behind it in every way.
To my sister truckers, Tammie, Kallie, and Tara from Texas, if you need a voice to endure a seemingly insufferable cold hard roads life, you have me. Always, sisters in transgender trucking.
I think If Rose had one ounce of compassion, empathy or humility she would apologise for being crass.
I wait in hope for this, for if somebody like her can apologise, then i think there could be hope for the rest of humanity.
Remarkable blog article. This article was shaped by an authentic reasoning essayist. mcdvoicee
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