Over the weekend, Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Company sparked an uproar online when it was revealed that their director had taken down the Pride Flag that hung at their downtown Fresno location.
Makenna Rae Christiansen, a bartender at Tioga-Sequoia, posted on her Instagram story that the Pride Flag was being taken down by director John Ramirez. Against the wishes of the staff, the flag was still removed.
Christiansen and her colleagues were disheartened by Ramirez’s decision. “I felt sad for my coworkers who give their all to the beer garden every day, making sure the beer garden’s patrons feel welcome and seen,” she said. “It felt like our voices weren’t being truly heard by him.”
Christiansen’s Instagram story began to circulate on the platform, with others reposting it to their own story to spread awareness. This angered many people, especially those who frequented the beer garden.
Many expressed their disappointments and frustrations under the company’s own Instagram account, writing comments like “you lost my business” followed by the Pride Flag emoji. This led to the company turning off their comments.
Leadership at Tioga-Sequoia claimed their decision to take down the flag was to expand business and cater to different demographics. The community was uncomfortable at the thought of feeling unsafe at a place they once thought was inclusive.
Many community members stated they wouldn’t return to Tioga until something had changed, including performers and community partners.
Judging by the Cover, who was scheduled to host Pages and Pints at the beer garden, canceled their event. They made a public statement stating the cancellation was due to Tioga’s comments being filled with anti-LGBTQ+ comments, concluding that Tioga was no longer a safe space to host their event.
“The actions taken by Tioga’s management are in direct opposition to our mission and vision,” as stated in their statement. “Queer and BIPOC voices and spaces are under attack, and we refuse to allow our community to be marginalized.”
Christiansen said, “I felt it went against what Tioga and this community proudly stand for: inclusion, acceptance, and love.”
After the reaction from the community, Tioga-Sequoia put the flag back up and said they will have a conversation with staff at a team meeting. But the question still remains, is this all a performative act by the Tioga leadership to save face and avoid losing business?
But this does show us the power of community voice, and how we can make a difference if we come together.
