A man was reportedly forced to choose between stripping or getting kicked out of a public mall, all for wearing a Christian t-shirt.
Nope, this is not the Babylon Bee. It's a true story.
According to this, cellphone footage caught the insane moment when a man (who happens to be black, since that matters these days) was stopped by a white security guard at the Mall of America and told to remove his shirt or leave the premises. Why? Because his shirt sported the phrase “Jesus is the only way," along with a crossed-out "coexist" symbol.
"Jesus is associated with religion, and it's offending people," the guard told the man.
When the man asked what was so offensive about it, the increasingly irate guard told him his apparel counted as "religious soliciting," adding, "There is no soliciting allowed on mall property, which is private property."
"I didn't speak to anyone, though," the man replies.
“I’m giving you a couple options: take the shirt off, and you can go to Macy’s, and you can do your shopping, or you can leave the mall, OK? Those are your only options right now," the guard tells the man in the video.
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The guard also told the man that "We've had guests come up saying that they've been offended by your shirt."
World: "Christians, stop it with the persecution complex. Your rights will never be taken away from you."
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Also world: (Mall of America. This week): pic.twitter.com/zaxduMWqhU
Footage from another angle shows an off-screen guard telling the people recording the conversation to "move back," allegedly to keep from creating a "crowd." Whoever's holding the cell phone refuses to stop filming.
Alpha News, the independent news outlet that first reported on the video, said Mall of America has declined their repeated requests for comment, and that it's not clear whether the man actually left the mall or what action was - or wasn't - taken against the security guard who ordered him to leave.
The Blaze added that while the mall does ban "inappropriate attire" including "obscene language, obscene gestures or racial/religious/ethnic slurs," as well as blatant picketing or soliciting, it did host an "all ages drag show" last year in the rotunda, causing one to wonder how scantily dressed men in women's lingerie gyrating in front of children is considered appropriate while a t-shirt with a simple Christian slogan is grounds for getting booted off the premises.
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