Arkansas Official Fired For Declaring "Gay Jokes Are Back On, Homos!"
An Arkansas state employee was booted from his government position after he posted a homophobic tweet on Inauguration Day.
Hunter Hatcher, who worked as an outreach coordinator for Treasurer Dennis Milligan, took to Twitter to celebrate President Trump's official first day in office.
"Y’all in Trump’s America now," he wrote. "Time to flick that chip off ya shoulder and quit being so offended. Gay jokes are back on ya bunch of homos."
There was instantaneous backlash to the now deleted tweet, with one of the biggest reactions coming from Hatcher's boss, who immediately fired him.
"The comments made by a member of my staff were insulting, unprofessional, unbecoming of a state employee and have no place in a public office," Milligan said in a statement.
"Everybody has the right to free speech, but you have to balance that also with what you’re saying and who you are as a professional."
In his official resignation letter, Hatcher apologized for his tweet and said that he was leaving his job to return to the military.
"It is my intent to focus on my military service to my country," Hatcher wrote. "I would like to offer my sincere apologies to all who were offended by my egregious remarks, as it was not becoming of a Soldier. I am very contrite but will continue to focus on my mission with the Army."
In addition to insulting the LGBT community, Hatcher routinely tweets offensive jokes about women, including this misogynistic Women's March zinger: "If all these women are at the Capitol, who’s making lunch?"
h/t: Gay Star News