My boss brought a cake to celebrate our biggest client win of the year. When I politely declined a slice, he asked why in front of the entire team. “I don’t eat gluten,” I explained simply.

The room went silent, then my boss smiled coldly and said, “Oh, one of those people. Let me guess — you’re also lactose intolerant and allergic to everything fun.” A few coworkers laughed uncomfortably, while I felt my face burning with embarrassment.

The celebration continued around me, but I could feel people whispering and glancing in my direction. My boss made several more comments throughout the afternoon about how “some people just can’t be team players.” I tried to laugh it off, but inside I was mortified.

The next day, HR called me into their office. I was horrified when they told me that several colleagues had complained about my “attitude” during the celebration, and that my boss felt I was being “difficult” and “attention-seeking” by announcing my dietary restrictions. They said my behavior was “disruptive to team morale” and suggested I try to be more “accommodating” in future office events.

I tried to explain that I was just politely declining cake, but they cut me off and said they’d received multiple reports about my “negative attitude” and that I needed to work on being more of a “team player.”

I left that meeting feeling completely defeated and confused. Now I’m worried about my job security and don’t know how to handle future office events without this happening again. Was I really wrong for just trying to protect my choices?