Two Nevada teens -- one gay and one straight -- have become Internet sensations in the wake of their viral promposal, but a new wrinkle in what had been a heartwarming story has emerged.
Jennifer Sandoval, the aunt of one of the teens, told local Fox affiliate KVVU-TV that employees at a Las Vegas Walmart refused to include the word "gay" on a surprise cake she bought for the duo. Sandoval's nephew is Anthony Martinez, who attended the Desert Oasis High School junior prom with his straight best friend, Jacob Lescenski, on May 2.
In a Teen Vogue video profile of Lescenski and Martinez, which can be seen below, Sandoval revealed the original inscription she'd hoped to have written on the icing: "You're gay, he's straight, you're going to prom, you couldn't have had a better date."
After the Walmart associates refused to print the word "gay," she opted for, "You matter, prom kings."
"One word -- 'gay' -- which is the meaning of happy, isn't going to harm putting that on a cake," Sandoval said in the KVVU-TV interview. "I don't understand. It's one word. It's 'gay.'"
When the news station contacted the Walmart, a spokesperson said store policy doesn't prohibit the word "gay," and management wasn't alerted when Sandoval made the request. The spokesperson said a store manager would contact Sandoval.
Sandoval said she was "disappointed" by the incident. The word "wasn't hurtful," she said. "It was to make my nephew happy, to see a smile on his face."
No word on Lescenski and Martinez's reaction to the cake news, but from the look of the Teen Vogue video below, the guys couldn't have been happier with their prom night.
View the tweet that started the buzz below:
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