‘Survivor’ Jeff Varner Loses Day Job After Outing Trans Tribe Mate

Jeff Varner made headlines last week for outing his trans fellow Survivor: Game Changers contestant, Zeke Smith. The real estate company Varner worked for has officially canned his ass. Getting fired from a real estate agency is about as weighty as getting booted from a scrapbooking group. But Varner is still seeking vengeance through media interviews. Someone has to spread out Costco-brand Oreos and dehydrated celery stalks during open houses. His former employer, Allen Tate Companies, released this statement:

The Allen Tate Companies were built on core values of honesty, integrity, and respect. Those fundamental beliefs led us to end our relationship with Mr. Varner, a real estate agent who had become affiliated with our firm just 17 days earlier.

Verner isn’t wasting any time making sure he’s famous enough to have a full Wikipedia page. No stubs here:

I wasn’t even given the chance to explain or right the wrong, As I’m spending hours doing press [on Thursday], I discover I can’t access my email. Then the MLS association emails to say, ‘You’ve been terminated.’ I didn’t even find out from my company. Suddenly my real estate license was inactive and my current clients [were] left in the dark.

During Tribal Council on last week’s Survivor, Varner asked Smith “Why haven’t you told anyone you’re transgender?” He was immediately blasted the world over for his insensitivity. The Internet thrives on the sacrificing of individuals and companies responsible for tongue slips. Bullying is only acceptable when the victim makes a mistake. Verner himself is gay. But trans sensitivity trumps boring gay sensitivity. There’s a chart somewhere. Verner might as well be an ISIS loyalist when compared to a trans person. And that’s how he’s being treated.

Outing anyone is a douchy move. Verner’s booting from Survivor was inevitable and deserved. But self-righteously condemning Varner to a life in the doghouse of social injustice is worse. We’re all shitty people. Pointing out someone else’s shittiness isn’t going to change that. Now Verner is out of a job. Verner’s fifteen minutes will be up the next time someone refers to Amy Schumer as fat. They’re basically the same thing.

_{Photo credit: CBS}