Va. hardware store at center of Boy Scout controversy fires employee accused of making anti-gay slur [View all]

[mahatmakanejeeves]

It's at the WaPo, but I've used up my free stories:

Virginia hardware store fires employee accused of making anti-gay slur, kicking out Boy Scout

Va. hardware store at center of Boy Scout controversy fires employee accused of making anti-gay slur

By Terrence McCoy, The Washington Post 1 hr ago

A historic hardware store in Purcellville, Virginia, announced Tuesday morning it has fired an employee accused of using an anti-gay slur while kicking out a teenage Boy Scout seeking donations for a service project.

"The Nichols Hardware family regrets that this even has come to pass," the store said in a Facebook post. "The employee in question has been terminated and his views certainly do not reflect those of the Nichols Hardware."

The saga has been a subject of public attention since Friday, when another customer summarized the encounter in a Facebook post that quickly gained traction, spawning hundreds of comments. ... "He told them, 'Your organization is not the 'Boy Scouts' anymore. We will not support you and you need to leave,' " Carlyn Hamilton wrote in her post. Then the employee, she said, turned to her and continued, "You know they let homos in, right? They are not the 'Boy' Scouts anymore. We do not support any homos."
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At the center of it all now is Nichols, an anchor of downtown Purcellville, which a local county history organization describes as a "trip back in time." At the store, handed down through at least three generations of the same family, receipts are handwritten, and the floors are uneven and wood. .... The store has now moved to quell the firestorm. ... "The family, who has been in Loudoun County since 1742, and which expresses tolerance in all areas of life, deeply regrets any disrespect to any organization or person," it said in its statement Tuesday.

UPDATE: Nichols Hardware apologizes, fires employee who made homophobic declarations

By Trevor Baratko, [e-mail] May 21, 2018 Updated 3 hrs ago

Update: May 22, 9:54 a.m.

Nichols Hardware management has issued an apology for last Friday's incident during which an employee kicked out a Boy Scout seeking help with a project. The employee, who made a homophobic statement during the incident, has been terminated, according to Nichols management.

“The Nichols Hardware family regrets that this even has come to pass,” a statement on Nichols' Facebook page reads. “The employee in question has been terminated and his views certainly do not reflect those of the Nichols Hardware. And, also, the family, who has been in Loudoun County since 1742, and which expresses tolerance in all areas of life, deeply regrets any disrespect to any organization or person.”

The boy, according to social media posts, entered Nichols on Friday for help with a scouting project. According to Carlyn Hamilton, who was reportedly in the store at the time, a Nichols employee admonished the kid seeking help, then said to her, “You know they let homos in, right? … We do not support homos around here, I can tell you that.”

Original story: May 21, 11:23 a.m.

Historic Nichols Hardware in Purcellville remains under fire Monday after an employee reportedly kicked out a Boy Scout because the organization has “let homos in.”
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