Windsor woman claims she was refused a cake order featuring drag queen
One local woman is calling on more education within Windsor-Essex after what she described as a simple request was shockingly refused.
Brittany Leroux turned to T. Bear’s Creamery on Tecumseh Road East, hoping they could create an ice cream cake that featured her husband’s favourite drag queen, Jimbo, from the show RuPaul's Drag Race.
“When I called to order I first talked to the female and I said I’d like to order a cake and the picture I’d like to put on it is a picture of a drag queen and she said, ‘what is that? Like a transvestite?’ And I said ‘no it’s a man who dresses up as a woman and performs, does anything, does stuff most people can’t do at all,” Leroux told CTV News.
After explaining what a drag queen is to a staff member, Leroux claims she was refused service.
“And she said we don’t do stuff like that here. I hung up the phone and I was shocked,” she says.
Leroux says she took some time to calm down and decided to call back to speak to a manager.
“I tried to ask him why the cake was refused and that’s when I started recording him and that’s when he started to group in drag queen with pedophiles,” she says. “That’s what blew my mind.”
“That was absolutely shocking I don’t understand how can you compare the two things. How can you compare criminals with beams of light? That’s what drag queens are to me they’re beams of light.”
“I was just kind of shocked and amazed of being what was going on and how he kind of refused and being homophobic which is not right and not acceptable,” Leroux’s husband John Reh says.
The ice cream shop is open on Sundays, and CTV News spoke with an employee who says she would pass along contact information to management, but as of newstime they have not commented.
“This type of hate and bigotry has no place in our Windsor community. Over the past several months, we have seen a sharp increase in the number of hate crimes that have taken place,” a news release from Trans Wellness says. “When microaggressions, harassment, and inappropriate conduct are not called out, it is one step closer to a hate crime.”
“My main thing is for him to be educated,” Leroux says. “I think it’s a lack of education is what causes hate in this world.”
She says she is not looking for an apology for herself, but for the LGBTQ+ community.
“Just to love everybody and be accepting and understanding,” Reh says. “When it comes down to it everyone is the same. Everyone needs friendship and companionship.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Being harassed at work? What to consider when deciding what to do next
If you've been the victim of workplace harassment, it can be difficult to feel you're not alone - and even more difficult to know where to go with a complaint.
Ontario urges mpox testing amid spike in cases
Ontario health officials are urging public health units to test for mpox, the viral disease formerly known as monkeypox, amid a spike of confirmed cases in the province.
Half of Canadians support TikTok ban, with U.S. concerns 'trickling' north: poll
A new poll indicates 51 per cent of Canadians support banning the social media app TikTok, after a U.S. bill aiming to do just that passed in the House of Representatives.
More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.