Sonic Launches Investigation After Employee Apologizes For Staff Misgendering Trans Person
A Sonic Drive In location is going viral after a transgender person claimed the location’s employees repeatedly referring to the individual as “sir” despite the person having apparently transitioned from male to female.
The now-viral recording begins with a man who has a Spanish accent asking why a customer is recording him. “Why are you recording me?” The Sonic employee asked. “Because your entire staff has been calling me sir,” the male-to-female transgender person named Eden Torres replied. “What about me looks like a sir right now?”
At this point the employee began attempting to coax Torres into driving to the side. Torres was not immediately willing.
“I’m sorry, and I apologize for what happened okay, if they did that. I’m sorry, what else can I tell you?” The employee offered before adding, “Can we please move to the side?” At this point, Torres acquiesced and moved the vehicle.
The Sonic employee attempted to plead with Torres: “Look, if they called you a sir, I don’t know why they did that,” but Torres quickly interrupted. “Because they saw the name on my credit card,” Torres blurted. “And they were not being nice people.”
Getting mad at someone for not guessing the right pronouns 🤡
Imagine posting this, thinking you’re in the right pic.twitter.com/u5uy9no76K— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) October 5, 2021
Apparently awestruck by the idea of a customer complaining after being referred to by the gender suggested on their financial documents, the surprised employee shot back, “Well I mean, they saw your name on the credit card. What do you want them to tell you?”
Torres however informed the employee, “That has nothing to do with it,” and suggested “There could be someone in the back” of the vehicle the employees could not see that paid for the meal. “Can you tell me what your location has done to be transcompentent,” demanded Torres. “Because clearly they are not.”
The employee then accused Torres of trying to stage a stunt for social media. Torres claimed to have “been faced with discrimination” from the restaurant’s staff. The incident eventually ended but now, with Torres posting the episode to social media, the American food brand is attempting to respond.
In one statement, the fast food, beverage and ice cream giant said it was “aware” of the incident and had “launched an immediate investigation” to see if any employees violated the company’s “strict anti-discrimination policy.” The Sonic Twitter account said the company takes “these matters very seriously” and reached out to Torres.
In another statement, Sonic again referred to its “anti-discrimination policy” and how seriously they take Torres’s claims. “We launched an immediate investigation into the incident, and we have reached out to you via TikTok to gather more information,” wrote the fast food company before inviting the transgender person to direct message the account with nearly 400,000 followers on Twitter.
We are aware and we’ve launched an immediate investigation. We have a strict anti-discrimination policy and take these matters very seriously. We’ve contacted Eden directly about her experience.
— Sonic Drive-In (@sonicdrivein) October 5, 2021
This employee couldn’t have been more understanding if he tried. He was calm and kind and handled it well. I’m sure your investigation will discover that. @sonicdrivein pic.twitter.com/xVHgJLFhAA
— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) October 5, 2021
It may be worth noting that Torres is a self-described “activist” and is the CEO of a company called Pride Portraits, which “provides visibility through photography & written word for the LGBTQIA+ community.” The company declares itself to be “Founded by a trans woman of color,” referring to Torres.
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