#WhatTheHeckDeck

I just want to share my story. Maybe it will help others out there not feel so alone.
It happened Tuesday. It was a normal evening on a hot summer day. I arrived at The Deck to meet a few friends. They were already seated and eating at a table of five. I innocently took a chair from one of the dozen empty tables surrounding my friends so I could sit with them. Little was I aware of the blatant exclusion and intolerance that would follow..
"Excuse me ma'am, you can't sit there, we have a no Joiner policy."
There it was. That word. That label. I was.. A Joiner.
Ostracized and humiliated, receiving glares from all four others dining at The Deck that evening, I turned my back and walked towards the bar. That's where I sat and pondered my perceived ignorance. In my hearts of hearts I was not trying to confuse the servers, waiting on the two tables that were currently dining. It was not my intention to rob a seat from one of the several empty tables.
I watched from afar as my friends laughed and paid their bills. Longing to order food and tip my waiter generously, I decided to drown my sorrows in a cold Corona instead. Because I am.. A Joiner. The Sixth Person At A Five Person Table.
My friends, disgusted by the intolerance, quickly came to my aid. We were then exiled to a beautiful area down by the river where they embraced my difference over more cold Coronas.
Next we arrived at Pedal City. There was a lump in my throat.
"Excuse me sir, do you serve... Joiners?"
"Of course we do."
He then handed me a cold Corona. A weight is lifted off my chest. My perception of the world brightens.
If you're a fellow Joiner, I just want you to know that you are not alone, and not everyone out there will stereotype you. Being A Joiner does not define you as a person. We stand together. Please take the time to sign this petition to protest The Deck.