Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave a Little Rock restaurant, with the owner citing concerns from LGBTQ employees over her political positions.
On March 13, Sanders dined at The Croissanterie, arriving unannounced with two guests, staff members, and her State Police Executive Protection Detail.
Her party had been seated for more than an hour and had already paid and tipped when she said the restaurant owner asked a member of her security detail to have them leave.
The governor said in a statement that the request was made because her presence made employees — many of whom are LGBTQ — feel uncomfortable due to her political views.
Sanders’ office told Fox News that the governor and her party complied with the request and left the restaurant. As they exited, an individual near the staff allegedly shouted at them and made a crude hand gesture.
“Arkansans are known for their warm hospitality, and while that restaurant certainly doesn’t meet that standard, my administration will continue to focus on lifting Arkansans up, not tearing others down with discrimination and hate,” Sanders said in a statement.
The Croissanterie said in a statement that the owners were “surprised and uncertain how best to respond” when they became aware of the governor’s presence, and initially chose not to interrupt her party.
“However, as the presence of her security detail became more widely noticed by employees and guests, questions were raised about them remaining in the restaurant,” the statement continued. “As business owners and members of this community, we recognized that any course of action carried consequences. Allowing her to stay risked being perceived as a lack of support for the community that makes up the majority of our team, as well as their families and friends. Conversely, asking her to leave could be viewed as denying service based on differing beliefs.”
Ultimately, the restaurant said it made the decision “to support our employees and guests who expressed they were uncomfortable.” It also disputed Sanders’ claim that anyone felt “threatened” by her presence.
About an hour into the visit, a member of the security detail was quietly asked to encourage the governor to conclude her visit after finishing her meal. The restaurant said it offered the party beverages for the road, but nearly 30 minutes later they remained.
“As the 90-minute table seating limit approached, the security detail was approached a second time and informed that approximately 10 minutes remained,” the statement said. “After reviewing camera footage, we confirmed that a member of the security detail did send a message to the governor following the initial request; however, it was not seen at that time. Once the message was received, she and her party departed without incident.”
The restaurant said most guests in the main dining room were not aware of Sanders’ presence and that there was no applause or disruption when her party left, as some had claimed. It also said the person who made the “inappropriate hand gesture” was a customer, not an employee, adding that “the matter has been addressed.”
Supporters of the governor took to social media to criticize The Croissanterie. The restaurant’s Yelp page was reportedly flooded with negative reviews after the controversy, prompting the service to temporarily disable new posts while it determines whether they reflect actual customer experiences. Other social media users accused Sanders of exaggerating and manipulating the incident.
This is not the first time Sanders has been asked to leave a restaurant over her political views.
In 2018, while serving as White House press secretary during President Donald Trump’s first term, Sanders was asked to leave the Red Hen, a restaurant in Lexington, Virginia, over the administration’s policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the southern border.
Sanders complied with the request but later criticized the decision, saying the owner’s actions “say far more about her than about me,” according to The New York Times.
Stephanie Wilkinson, co-owner of the Red Hen, later wrote in The Washington Post that she was harassed and the restaurant was barraged with hate mail after asking Sanders to leave, but said the business did not suffer financial losses. The restaurant closed in 2023 and reopened in 2024 under a new name, Zunzun, with the same management team.
Mental health providers licensed in Texas are barred from offering therapy that could be interpreted as assisting minors in transitioning, according to a legal opinion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
In the February 27 opinion, Paxton responded to an inquiry from Darrel Spinks, executive director of the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council, about whether a 2023 law applies to licensed therapists and counselors.
The law, Senate Bill 14, bans health care providers from providing or facilitating treatments for minors -- including puberty blockers, hormones, or surgical interventions -- intended to help them medically transition. It also prohibits public funds, including Medicaid, from covering the cost of transition-related care.
John Kluge has settled a lawsuit against the Brownsburg Community School Corporation after claiming he was forced out of his music teaching job for refusing to use a transgender student's preferred first name, arguing the district's policy requiring staff to use transgender students' preferred names and pronouns violated his religious beliefs.
Kluge, who identifies as Christian, alleged the district discriminated against him and retaliated after he refused to follow the policy.
The controversy began in 2017 after the Brownsburg school district adopted a policy requiring teachers to call students by the name listed in a school database, which reflected transgender students' preferred first names.
A Florida woman has been arrested on a felony child abuse charge after allegedly cutting a young family member with a knife upon discovering messages indicating he is gay.
According to South Florida TV station WPLG, police began investigating Grether Leidy Guadarramas Pena, 41, after the boy told a teacher what had happened at his home on March 14. The teacher then reported the incident to authorities.
An arrest report from the Florida City Police Department states that the boy -- whose age was not specified -- told detectives his brother discovered Discord messages about his sexual orientation and took the computer away. The brother then gave it to another family member, who "made him stand facing the wall" until Guadarramas arrived home.
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