Gay Trump supporter fired for political beliefs

June 11, 2020 Michael US 0

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 8:19 PM PT — Thursday, June 11, 2020

A gay Trump supporter in Florida said he was fired over his political beliefs. 32-year-old David Leatherwood is a conservative who resides in St. Petersburg.

With a significant following on Twitter, he frequently posts his views on social media and often takes a comedic approach on both political and social issues. He also collaborates with other conservative influencers. Some of their humorous clips have even gone viral.

When you’re hanging with your conservative friends and @JoeBiden says #YouAintBlack @robsmithonline @brokebackUSA pic.twitter.com/5eTsGkBisW

— Arielle Scarcella (@ArielleScarcell) May 22, 2020

Leatherwood claims that because he’s gay, the left expects him to think and act a certain way. It’s because of this that those unhappy with his opinions created an alleged smear campaign in effort to get him fired from his job at Craft Kafe. They also threatened to boycott the establishment if he wasn’t let go.

Those who were upset specifically took issue with posts where Leatherwood suggested that “all lives matter” and where he referred to Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.

Despite being a loyal employee for over four and a half years, Leatherwood was terminated from his job.

“If I have freedom of speech outside of the job, am I not still a citizen while inside the job?”

— Krystal Gilliam, uses social media to voice opinion

In most cases, you are free to protest wages, hours and working conditions. When it comes to politics, however, your job could be at risk. Some reports suggest conservatives have even been fired for simply attending a Trump rally.

“For some employers, the mere fact that the person was there and was identified with one side or another was enough to bring the employer to the point of separating the worker,” explained John Balitis, Fennermore Craig director and attorney.

Craft Kafe has yet to make a public statement. After being questioned over its decision to let Leatherwood go, the coffee shop admitted his political views didn’t bother anyone in the workplace and even sparked “good conversation.” The comments were made in private messages obtained by One America News.

The coffee shop said Leatherwood was entitled to his First Amendment right, but suggested the decision to fire him came after “customer complaints and negative feedback.” It even said it “might of made a mistake.”

Meanwhile, an online donation page has been created to help Leatherwood while he searches for a new job.

This is the shirt I wore to the meeting where my employer fired me for my political beliefs.

Liberals can’t bully me!

I will NEVER cater to the “progressive” mob of bullies. Even if it means losing my job.@BLEXIT pic.twitter.com/qDh63tHNh8

— Brokeback Patriot (@brokebackUSA) June 9, 2020

Leatherwood said he’s taking a stand and companies that “bow to the mob” must be held accountable. He also noted that he’s not letting the incident stop him from supporting President Trump.