I’ve been in the workforce for 20 years and never once, until tonight, have I walked out on a job.
I moonlight as a banquet bartender. Tonight we hosted the Knights Of Columbus.
The keynote speaker took the stage and started on her bullshit about abortion and the victories the church has won in the SCOTUS recently.
When she mentioned Roe v Wade I clapped, I yelled “yeah!”
When she mentioned it being overturned I booed.
I texted my manager “might be getting fired tonight.”
I kept up with my antics, heads started to turn.
Eventually I decided “I’m not serving these fuckers anymore. Fuck them, I’m done.”
“You’re heckling our speaker!”
Yes sir, I am.
While continuing to heckle I packed up my tools, wiped down my station, and headed towards the door.
I left the $89 (on a party of 200) we earned in tips to my coworker.
One of the knights followed me through the door and told me “you’re being reported, if you walk into this room again there’s going to be big trouble for you!”
I said, “sir, if the hell you believe in is real then you’ll all be there very soon.”
Clocked out, saw my manager downstairs and told her what happened.
The security guard who was hanging out down there said “I gotta go, there’s an issue on the banquet floor.”
“No, there’s not. I’m the issue. Fuck those motherfuckers.”
Instantly the manager’s phone rang. She answered and said “yeah, I’m outside with u/Bullshit_Conduit right now….”
I told her I’d be happy to keep working there if they’d have me, but that I refused to serve those misogynistic pieces of shit… I don’t anticipate I’ll be invited to return, but that’s fine by me.
This feels like a story for r/antiwork because I stood up for my rights and the rights of my sisters.
Not much of a triumph, but I’m proud of myself for taking the little stand I took.
Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.