ORLANDO, Fla. – Yasmin Flasterstein placed an order at a Florida Publix bakery for a cake that she wanted to be made for an event in support of the trans community. She wanted a specific phrase written on the cake, but what she got back surprised her.
Flasterstein, 28, said that she wanted the cake to read “Trans people deserve joy,” but when she went to pick it up, the word trans was left off and the frosted writing said, “People deserve joy.”
“It was kind of just this reality check that shook me,” she said.
She shared photos and her story about what happened at the Publix in the Colonialtown neighborhood in Orlando.
On April 26, Flasterstein, the co-founder and executive director of Peer Support Space, an Orlando nonprofit, ordered the cake for an event that she was hosting.
“It was a ‘spreading trans joy volunteer’ event,” she said, a celebration organized by Flasterstein and her co-founder who is a trans person.
She recalled that when she first went to the bakery associate behind the counter she said, “He did look a little bit confused, so I thought he didn’t know what I said. So, I spelled out ‘trans’ and then he said, ‘OK’ and then he said, ‘I’ll be right back.’ "
Flasterstein said a manager later gave her an explanation why they refused to write the entire message.
She said the manager said she couldn’t write the phrase because “that would take a stance on something.”
Eventually, Flasterstein said she was handed frosting and told she could finish the design herself.
Days later she decided to post the story to Facebook about her disappointment.
There was a message response from Publix’s verified Facebook page that read: “We are sorry that our associate did not handle your request appropriately. Please message us for more details and we will gladly make the cake,” it read.
She said Publix also apologized in emails and that the store’s general manager also apologized eventually.
Flasterstein said she still wants answers about what the policy is at Publix so what happened to her doesn’t happen to someone else.