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---
title: Taco John's Sued Over Teen Employee's 'Gaytard' Nametag
description: A 16-year-old Taco John's employee was forced to wear a label that said "Gaytard" and is now being represented by the ACLU in a lawsuit
canonical: https://time.com/3430810/taco-johns-sued-over-teen-employees-anti-gay-nametag/
author: Sam Frizell
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article:published_time: 2014-09-25T19:47:19.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:56:03.594Z
og:title: Taco John's Sued Over Teen Employee's 'Gaytard' Nametag
og:description: A 16-year-old Taco John's employee was forced to wear a label that said "Gaytard" and is now being represented by the ACLU in a lawsuit
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twitter:title: Taco John's Sued Over Teen Employee's 'Gaytard' Nametag
twitter:description: A 16-year-old Taco John's employee was forced to wear a label that said "Gaytard" and is now being represented by the ACLU in a lawsuit
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# Taco John's Sued Over Teen Employee's Anti-Gay Nametag

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by 

[Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/)


## Sam Frizell


Sep 25, 2014 7:47 PM UTC

by 

[Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/)


## Sam Frizell


Sep 25, 2014 7:47 PM UTC

A teenage former Taco John’s employee has filed suit against the fast food chain for allegedly being forced to [wear an anti-gay slur on his name tag](http://tacojohnscalledmeagaytard.com/post/98398003327/within-24-hours-since-we-launched-our-campaign), in a case that has become a viral sensation thanks to an American Civil Liberties Union campaign.

Tyler Brandt, 16, said that he was required to wear a name tag labeled “GAYTARD” at the Taco John’s branch in Yankton, South Dakota where he worked, according to the ACLU. Brandt, after being repeatedly humiliated in front of customers and coworkers, finally felt that he had to quit his job.

The ACLU is representing Brandt in a discrimination suit again Taco John’s.

More than 32,000 people have signed an ACLU-organized petition requesting that Taco John’s apologize and speak out against workplace discrimination. Many have shared [pictures](http://tacojohnscalledmeagaytard.com/post/98157354012/tyler-hats-off-to-you-for-telling-your-story-and) [of](http://tacojohnscalledmeagaytard.com/post/97819942997/tyler-ive-been-called-midget-and-nerd-at-work) [themselves](http://tacojohnscalledmeagaytard.com/post/98154301112/i-moved-to-the-us-when-i-was-a-teen-and-high) on social media holding signs with the names of insults that have been leveled at them.

“No one should have to face slurs in their workplace – no boss should be allowed to label their employee with insults,” said the ACLU in the [petition](https://www.aclu.org/secure/tyler?ms=web%5F140924%5Flgbtrights%5Ftacojohn%27s%5Ftumblr).

The company addressed the alleged incident on its Facebook page:

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