During the week of July 7th, Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Company ignited a social media uproar when it was revealed that their director, John Ramirez, had removed the Pride Flag that had been displayed at their downtown Fresno location for years.
Makenna Rae Christiansen, a bartender at Tioga-Sequoia, highlighted the removal on her Instagram story, noting that the flag was taken down despite staff objections. Christiansen and her colleagues were deeply disheartened by Ramirez's decision. "I felt sad for my coworkers who give their all to the beer garden every day, making sure the beer garden’s patrons feel welcome and seen," she expressed. "It felt like our voices weren’t being truly heard by him."
Christiansen's Instagram story quickly spread, with others reposting it to raise awareness. This sparked significant anger, especially among regular patrons of the beer garden. Many voiced their disappointment and frustration on the company's Instagram account, leaving comments like "you lost my business" accompanied by the Pride Flag emoji, which eventually led the company to disable comments on their posts.
Tioga-Sequoia leadership stated that the decision to remove the flag was part of an effort to expand their business and cater to a broader demographic. However, the community felt uneasy, fearing the loss of a space they once considered inclusive.
Flag Re-Raised
Amidst mounting criticism, Tioga-Sequoia reinstated the Pride Flag. In a social media statement, the company apologized, in a statement:
To the community of customers, employees, family, and friends within the LGBQT+ communities, we are deeply sorry for actions regarding the removal of the Inclusion Pride Flag at our Beer Garden last week. There was never any intention of removing the flag to harm, disrespect, or change our stance on that. Nor is there any truth to the idea that we removed the flag just to attract a new group of customers who disagree with the flag. We recognize and feel remorse for this egregious misunderstanding.
TIOGA-SEQUOIA BEER GARDEN
Community and Promoters Leave
Despite the apology, many community members, performers, and partners stated they would not return to Tioga-Sequoia until significant changes were made. The organizers of Queers and Beers decided to move their events elsewhere, ending nearly two years of partnership with the venue. Kenneth Garcia, also known as KG559, a local DJ who had hosted several events at the brewery, shared his disappointment. "I just feel like that flag symbolizes a safe space for us here in Fresno. And that's something that we worked hard to bring to for the last few years. For that, I feel like that was kind of ripped out of our hands, it's crazy," Garcia said. When he didn't receive a response from management, he decided to cut ties with the brewery for future events.
Judging by the Cover, scheduled to host Pages and Pints at the beer garden, also canceled their event, citing Tioga-Sequoia's comments section being filled with anti-LGBTQ+ remarks. They concluded that the brewery was no longer a safe space for their event. "The actions taken by Tioga’s management are in direct opposition to our mission and vision," they stated. "Queer and BIPOC voices and spaces are under attack, and we refuse to allow our community to be marginalized."
Christiansen remarked, "I felt it went against what Tioga and this community proudly stand for: inclusion, acceptance, and love." Although the flag has been put back up and the company has promised a team meeting to discuss the issue, there remains skepticism about whether Tioga-Sequoia's actions are genuinely reflective of their commitment to inclusivity or merely an attempt to avoid losing business.
