Bloomington bar owner cracks down on hate speech

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — McKinley Minniefield has owned the Fairfax Bar and Grill in southern Monroe County for almost two years.

“The lake life down here is the best in the state by far, so we really have an amazing atmosphere here by far, especially in the summer. That’s what’s drawing me to this place,” said Minniefield.

Not everyone has been enjoying the atmosphere lately. Once a social media post with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney enjoying a Bud Light went viral, some of Minniefield’s customers got angry.

“Very vulgar speech indeed,” said Minniefield.

It prompted Minniefield to post this comment on Fairfax’s Facebook page:

“We’re aware of the controversy surrounding Bud Light. We support all people in this establishment no matter who you are or how you identify. We will continue to sell Anheuser-Busch products because we don’t care who they make special cans for. If you are intolerant of other humans of any kind, we ask that you keep your opinions to yourself. Should you feel the need to discuss this matter in public, you will be asked to leave. We will not tolerate intolerance here.”

Fairfax Bar & Grill Facebook Page

“We were just dealing with a lot of hate speech, and people being uncomfortable. My bartenders were aggravated and we had customers that were leaving,” he said.

More than 500 people commented on the post, some saying that Minniefield is being intolerant by not allowing different opinions.

“We’re a local dive bar in southern Indiana, there’s a lot of ideas that tossed around here, but I’ve never dealt with anything recently that was so overtly hateful.” he said.

Minniefield adds that he hasn’t seen a drop in business since this controversy started.