Jonathan Pacheco, Oklahoma Man, Claims He Was Asked To Leave Walmart Store Because He Is Gay

Walmart Employee Allegedly Asks Customer To Leave Store Because He's Gay [UPDATED]

A gay Oklahoma man is crying foul after he and his boyfriend were allegedly asked to leave a Walmart store because of their sexuality.

As The Express-Star is reporting, Jonathan Pacheco and his boyfriend were shopping at a Walmart in Chickasha, Okla. when he claims the couple was approached by an employee who posed a series of questions about homosexuality before ultimately asking the pair to leave the premises.

Pacheco told the publication that the employee, who is identified only as a janitor, noted, "It is Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve," before telling the pair they weren't allowed in the store.

"I wasn't looking for any kind of fight, and we weren't acting inappropriately. I just wanted to buy some cookies," Pacheco is quoted by the Bluefield Daily Telegraph as saying. "I feel like I can't go anywhere now."

Meanwhile, a Walmart spokesperson told The Express-Star that the incident is under additional investigation.

Walmart has a checkered history when it comes to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. In 2010, an employee claimed he was stripped of many of his responsibilities and forced to wear a yellow vest while in the store after he admitted he was gay to a supervisor, The Advocate reported.

Earlier this year, a spokesperson for Walmart told HuffPost Gay Voices in an email: "We take pride in the fact that we treat every customer, every supplier and every member of our individual communities fairly and equally. Walmart continues to have a strong commitment to diversity among our associates and against discrimination everywhere."

UPDATE: A representative from Walmart sent The Huffington Post the following statement:

"This is clearly unacceptable to us and to our customers. The associate involved is no longer with the company."

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