Photo via Aaron Bernstine/Facebook
June 18, 2021, 10:26 am
A Republican Pennsylvania state representative is getting the Facebook version of a ratio after posting a photo of a gender-neutral bathroom sign at a Noodles & Co. restaurant and claiming that he had to explain it to his kid like it’s a bad thing. People have widely responded with laugh reactions, as well as mockery, explanations on why he’s being ridiculous, and doubt over whether a six-year-old really noticed or cared about the bathroom sign.
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“When there is one of these in a restaurant and I have to try to explain to my 6 year old what it means,” wrote Rep. Aaron Bernstine. “After telling him that some people want to be different than what God made them, he said ‘well, that’s stupid’. Yes Dierks, it’s definitely stupid.”
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“Instead of just putting a sign up that says ‘restroom’, they are trying to force this liberal agenda down our throats while indoctrinating kids,” he added. “And no, we will not be eating at Noodles anymore.”
It seems doubtful to many that Bernstine was literally forced to explain a bathroom sign to a six-year-old or that it required an explanation beyond “it means anyone can use that bathroom.” Many small restaurants have single-stall restrooms that are gender-neutral due to a lack of space but are not explicitly labeled as such, as Bernstine points out. However, some businesses have taken to using signs like the one at Noodles & Co. in response to right-wing hysteria over gender and bathrooms.
It’s a little bit of a troll, and clearly it works.
Not only does Noodles & Co. get free publicity as everyone drags Bernstine over his ridiculous comments, the owner of the business told Insider that the inclusive atmosphere at the restaurant has helped to attract some of the finest employees.
“We welcome team members and guests from all walks of life,” said CFO Carl Lukach. “So I feel like this is a very unique core competency of the business, and quite frankly, a driver for talent.”
“Authenticity at Noodles resonates. And when you’re your authentic self, you’re going to perform at your best.”
While the acceptance of people as they are rather than trying to force them into a gender that doesn’t fit them is not a “liberal agenda” but rather basic human decency, Bernstine showed in responses to comments on his posts that this is about his transphobic bigotry rather than simple politics. In response to one woman who said she saw nothing wrong with the sign and encouraged him to teach his children tolerance, the Republican showed his true values.
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“I’m not really interested in him hanging out or associating with people who aren’t smart enough to understand if they are a male or a female,” he wrote.
Bernstine is also the same Pennsylvania representative who came under fire in 2020 after video circulated of him encouraging his then-five-year-old son to smoke a cigar, directing him to “hit it harder,” and getting him to use sexually degrading language about women.
“What are we going to chase in Nashville?” Bernstine asks his young son.
“Cadillac p-ssy,” the child whispers back.
The party of family values.
*First Published: June 18, 2021, 10:26 am
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