Man left ‘shocked and upset’ after Valentine’s card defaced with homophobic abuse at work

A 20-year-old man from Edmonton, Canada, has been left ‘shocked and upset’ after a Valentine’s Day card left for him at work was defaced with the word ‘f*ggot’.

Degas Sikorski, who had worked at the Party City store for three years, had finished his first shift in six weeks when he entered the break room to find that Valentine’s cards had been left out for staff by their supervisor.

However, he says his “jaw hit the floor” however when he picked up his card to find it had been defaced with a homophobic threat.

“In the centre, below my name, was the word ‘faggot’ and right under it was ‘there’s a reason you’re not getting any shifts’ right below the word ‘faggot’,” he told Global News.

“[I thought] Oh my God, I’m not safe here.”

Degas, who came out at the age of 14, said he hadn’t experienced any problems from staff or management during his three years at the store, but that the incident had left him shaken.

“Suddenly I can’t be myself. Suddenly I can’t accept myself and be who I am at Party City for fear of retaliation from somebody in the staff.

He added: “This is definitely a matter of safety, not only for other people employed at Party City, but also for anybody who goes to shop at Party City.”

In a statement, his employer said: “Party City does not condone this behaviour and is committed to creating a fair and inclusive working environment. We are currently looking into this matter and will provide more information as it becomes available.”

Degas says he doesn’t want the person or people responsible to be fired, but he does want them to come forward so he can talk to them about their attitude.

“I’m still a person. I breathe the same air as you. I’m a human being just like you,” he said.

You can watch Global News’ coverage of the incident below:

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