Toronto bar under fire for mocking Caitlyn Jenner in Instagram post

WATCH: El Furniture Warehouse has come under fire for a social media post, but the bar’s owner says it was put up by a contributor, and has been removed and does not reflect the mandate of the establishment which is about inclusion and diversity. Angie Seth reports.

A Toronto bar is under fire after an anti-transgender photo was posted on their Instagram account mocking Caitlyn Jenner.

The photo was posted by El Furniture Warehouse, a restaurant and bar with two locations in the west end.

It referenced a scene in the movie Ace Ventura, where a character is mocked for being transgender and drew comparison to the back of Jenner’s Vanity Fair magazine cover with the hashtags Caitlyn, Bruce and Ace Ventura.

Many Toronto residents were unimpressed, calling the post “hate mongering” and “very disrespectful.”

Pride Toronto issued the statement “Pride Toronto does not associate or endorse any vendors or businesses that take part in any sort of transphobic activities, remarks or behaviours – there is zero tolerance.”

The owner of El Furniture Warehouse, Sean Young, says the post was a mistake and was put up by a contributor of the site who is not employed by the bar. Young says it does not reflect the thoughts and views of the staff and when he saw it, he immediately took it down.

“This whole establishment is run under the mandate of inclusion, acceptance and diversity with no room for any kind of homophobia,” says Young. “We are not anti-transgender.”

Young says there are no longer contributors to El Furniture Warehouse’s Instagram and only owners will be posting to the account.

The bar plans to hold at least one event to celebrate the city’s diversity and acceptance during pride week.

With a report from Angie Seth