Atlanta Gay Bar Owner Under Fire for Racist Posts

The racist posts of the owner of a gay bar in Atlanta, Georgia, have bubbled up - and they are causing something of a ruckus.

At first blush, some of the posts by Burkhart's Pub owner Palmer Marsh might seem little more than boilerplate conservative, like the one that reads, "I used to think that NYC was the most intimidating place on Earth. Thanks to Mayor Rudy Giuliani it has become one of the most delightful places on our Earth. Conservative values can count" - the sort of thing the reasonable people of good conscience could disagree over without it being a huge deal.

But then there are the other posts - including one that celebrates the Confederate flag and threatens violence against anyone who might try to take it away from Marsh, or a post celebrating a billboard emblazoned with the legend "Blue Lives Matter"... or racist slams against President Barack Obama, including one post that refers to him as "the peanut-man" and another that drops all pretense and refers to Obama by the N-word.

Raw Story posted a veritable rogue's gallery of screen grabs from Marsh's Facebook account, revealing a veritable tapestry of racist sentiment from across the years. "If the South had won, we would all be a hell of a lot better off," one mini-screed declares, while another, dated Feb. 2, 2015, reads, "I hope the Jeffersons are still moving on up! Today the Cr**kers feel like they are swimming upstream."

The Georgia Voice had another gem, one that seemed to grasp hazily at gender identity issues while simultaneously making light of the GOP's ongoing attacks against women in general. "I keep my trigger cocked," the post, dated August 6, 2015, reads; "I know that there is a Republican War on women. So, just to be on the safe side should some Republican bastartd [sic] decide that I am a female, I am ready for the gunfight."

In an article titled "Gay bar owner's racist history comes back to haunt him, but he would still like your business," Queerty reported that Burkhart's pub has been a fixture on Atlanta's Piedmont Avenue, and that the bar is known for its drag shows.

Burkhart's Pub General Manager, Don Hunnewell, responded with a statement that seemed to reflect deeply conflicted feelings. Hunnewell stuck up valiantly for the bar's staff, "who have dedicated many years to serving a huge loyal customer base that have become very close to the staff from years of pouring not just drinks, but pouring from their hearts," but also gave notice that "it took everything I had to soldier on and not terminate my employment agreement" before saying he planned to "seek new opportunities" in the future because "this is not what I signed up for."

"I will now pack for a much-needed vacation that was planned months ago," Hunnewell's statement added.

The Georgia Voice article recalled that another Atlanta gay bar, Blake's on the Park, faced charges of racism in 2015 due to a dress code that forbade some fashion modes, including hoodies, bandannas, and sagging trousers.