Controversy surrounds questionable social media posts by SWFL Remax agents

Is this a joke made in poor taste, or is it hate speech disguised as humor?

A Southwest Florida real estate agent made a post a couple of days ago, saying “Take the time to make sure you know who you are showing homes to. Is that Jethrine or Jethro?” The text was accompanied by an actor in drag.

Thursday, the post is still causing a lot of controversy even though it’s been taken down.

The post was making a reference to the show The Beverly Hillbillies—a form of entertainment. But many LGBTQ advocates say the post did not fall into that category.

Not long after, another realtor form the same office took to Instagram comparing closing a deal to “a transsexual fighting with a hermaphrodite over a mistress,” a reference to the Jerry Springer Show.

“Just after the post hit social media, my phone started ringing,” said SWFL realtor James Warren.

Warren is a realtor at a different Remax group in Cape Coral.

“The context of the actual post was just inappropriate,” he said.

We tried to interview the realtors behind these posts at the downtown Remax location on First Street.

One of realtors said they had no comment and the situation has been turned over to their legal team.

The Facebook page has since been deleted, but before that, they posted an apology reading in part:

My intention with the post had more to do with the safety of realtors, since there are many realtors being attacked during showings currently.

“The post that went up and sort of the words that went through it reinforces those negative stereotypes of transgender people as predators,” said SWFL Pride Board Member Jason Boeckman.

He says this is why the festival was created.

“This is an opportunity to learn and for us to educate people about LGBT folks,” said Boeckman.

He says there’s been a lot of anti-transgender posts on social media since the murder of Bee Love last month—a trans-woman of color in Clewiston.

Pride organizers say they will have a moment of silence during Saturday’s event in her honor.