Video shows KFC employee yelling homophobic slurs at Illinois gay couple

A KFC employee has been fired after a video showed him yelling homophobic slurs at a gay couple in Springfield, Ill.

According to local television station WAND-TV, Joshua Garner and his boyfriend, Lee Walls, said they were verbally attacked at a local Kentucky Fried Chicken drive-thru.

The couple, accompanied by Garner’s younger brother, were picking up an order for the food delivery service DoorDash on Wednesday night.

When they arrived at the fast food restaurant, however, Garner said that an employee started yelling homophobic slurs at them.

“So Lee and I are out door-dashing and this traumatic experience happened at KFC on 6th street Springfield Illinois,” Garner wrote on Facebook, where he also posted a video of the encounter.

(WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE)

The incident started when Walls was on the phone to inform his customer that one of the requested food items was unavailable, the local ABC-affiliate reported.

He allegedly motioned his hand upward to tell the KFC employee he was asking if the person would like something else, instead.

The employee did not take his gesture well and a heated interaction ensued.

Garner quickly used his phone to record the incident, which shows one employee sticking his head out of the drive-thru window and going on a hateful tirade, telling the couple things like, “You’re f--g queer” and “This m---------er looks queer so he can get the f--k out of here.”

A manager eventually came in to close the drive-thru window.

The couple said that the situation left them shaken up, and they immediately called police to report the incident.

“I have done two tours in Afghanistan and I have seen some crazy things, but never have I had it where I freeze up, and I just freeze up,” Walls told WAND-TV.

“KFC’s unwavering policy is to treat every guest and employee fairly, equally, and with respect,” the restaurant chain said in a statement Friday. “Discrimination of any kind is absolutely against KFC’s core values, and the behavior displayed in this video was appalling. This employee was promptly terminated by the KFC franchisee who owns the restaurant, and additional employees have been suspended as a result of this incident, pending further investigation. We have also contacted the guest directly to apologize for this experience. Additionally, this KFC franchisee has committed to additional anti-harassment and non-discrimination training for all employees at its restaurants.”