After appearing in the national media to charge that a Whole Foods store in Texas wrote a gay slur on his cake decoration, an Austin man is now admitting the story was a hoax, canceling his lawsuit, and is apologizing for his claims.
On Monday, Jordan Brown apologized to Whole Foods for using the media to “perpetuate this story.” Brown went on to say the company did nothing wrong and he feels bad for having accused the bakery worker of wrongdoing.
In mid April, Brown, the pastor of the Church of Open Doors and an open homosexual, claimed that a bakery worker at an Austin, Texas, Whole Foods bakery worker wrote the word “fag” on a cake he ordered to be decorated with the words “love wins.”
Brown quickly took his charges to court to sue Whole Foods for the incident and then appeared in a press conference covered by national media outlets.
However, the corporation immediately came out to counter sue the accuser, insisting an internal investigation proved to their satisfaction that the man’s claims were suspicious.
Now, a month after Jordan Brown claimed the incident occurred, the gay activist is admitting that his story is a hoax and has apologized for bringing the suit and accusing the store of misconduct. He said in a public statement:
Today I am dismissing my lawsuit against Whole Foods Market. The company did nothing wrong. I was wrong to pursue this matter and use the media to perpetuate this story. I want to apologize to Whole Foods and its team members for questioning the company’s commitment to its values, and especially the bakery associate who I understand was put in a terrible position because of my actions. I apologize to the LGBT community for diverting attention from real issues. I also want to apologize to my partner, my family, my church family, and my attorney.
In response to Brown’s admission, Whole Foods has dropped its counter suit, saying it “stands behind” its employees.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com