Gay couple 'removed from Soho pub for kissing'

[bhaexpress]

From the BBC

A man has told of how he was ordered to leave a central London pub after a staff member objected to him kissing a man he was on a date with.

James Bull, 23, said he and Jonathan Williams, 26, were thrown out of the John Snow on Broadwick Street, Soho.Mr Bull said he was "shaking" after a woman claiming to be the pub's landlady removed them for being "obscene".

The Metropolitan Police are investigating the incident, while the John Snow pub is yet to comment. Samuel Smith's brewery, the owner of the pub, declined to comment on the incident.

"I felt belittled. I felt physically sick and we were both shaking," said Mr Bull, a charity worker from Kentish Town in north London. "It made me feel dirty. I've never experienced anything like this before."
Mr Bull said a man claiming to be the pub's landlord first raised objection to their kissing shortly after 2145 BST.
"We were kissing and a guy who claimed to be the landlord came over and told us to stop. I don't want to see that. It offends me," he said.
"We had just kissed. It was nothing obscene. He said if we didn't tone it down, we would have to leave.
"We were going to finish our drinks and leave but another person at the bar said the man had no right to do that."

Jamie Morton, 23, from Canary Wharf, who witnessed the incident, said: "I was really shocked. I said: 'That's outrageous - you can't say that.'"
Mr Bull said: "We had another drink and, getting up to leave, I gave Jonathan a quick peck on the lips."
"A woman claiming to be the landlady came over and said: 'You need to leave, you're being obscene.'" "The man who said he was the landlord grabbed Jonathan by the collar before we left." Mr Morton said: "It was shocking and aggressive. There was a lot of venom and anger inflicted on these polite guys who were were genuinely doing nothing wrong at all." A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Police are investigating an incident which occurred at approximately 2250 BST on Wednesday at a venue in Broadwick Street, W1. "There have been no arrests and inquiries are ongoing."

Would you be bothered ?

To be honest a 'quick peck on the lips' between two men wouldn't bother me. A full on snog might make me turn away but then so would hetro couple snogging as I don't consider that in public it's appropriate. However I would chose to ignore it and certainly wouldn't complain about such an act.

What would you do ?

 

[clif26]

Cut off their goolies !

 

[Return of the Rev]

i would go outside and have a big snog on the pavement

 

[Gwylan]

The strangest thing about that story is that the John Snow is just around the corner from Old Compton Street, the gay centre of London. I find it hard to believe that the landlord had never had gays in his pub before. It certainly sounds like he's the wrong person for a pub in Soho.

 

[bhaexpress]

i would go outside and have a big snog on the pavement

With who though ?

 

[bhaexpress]

The strangest thing about that story is that the John Snow is just around the corner from Old Compton Street, the gay centre of London. I find it hard to believe that the landlord had never had gays in his pub before. It certainly sounds like he's the wrong person for a pub in Soho.

Personally I suspect that the man who claimed to be the landlord was nothing of the sort. What does raise a question about that is that neither the pub or the brewery has made any comment about the situation. I do agree that it's hard to imagine that these two are the first gays to kiss in that pub.

 

[Chicken Run]

If it was a quick peck on the lips (which I doubt) there is no way I would kick them out, however if they were snogging then no matter if they were gay or straight I would ask them to stop or wait for the night clubs to open, then if they continued I would remove them gay or straight.

 

[Sausage]

I'd draw the line at fisting.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

It should be the publicans right to let in or kick out whoever they like.

 

[Trufflehound]

Slightly off-topic, but a similar theme, in the early 80s my friends and I got thrown out of a pub in central Swansea because one of the women we were with was drinking a pint of Guinness.

"It's upsetting my regulars, seeing a woman drinking out of a pint glass," was his reasoning.

She was offered the choice of desisting forthwith and switching to halves, or leaving. We left.

Apparently we still live in such enlightened times.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Having read the story, the only disturbing thing about it, is that they look like twins - that's just wrong.

 

[bhaexpress]

It should be the publicans right to let in or kick out whoever they like.

Well yes and no, it does rather depend on whether the couple's behaviour was dangerous or obscene. There was a case recently when a guest house owner was made to pay several thousand pounds worth of damages to a gay couple who the owner refused to allow to stay. However, as Chicken Run said I doubt that the couple restricted themselves to a mere 'Peck on the Lips'.

 

[Trufflehound]

Having read the story, the only disturbing thing about it, is that they look like twins - that's just wrong.

So you'd object to the Olsens snogging each other then?

 

[Tricky Dicky]

So you'd object to the Olsens snogging each other then?

Exceptions to every rule, my friend.

 

[alan partridge]

Whenever the subject of gay people kissing in public comes up it always reminds me of Pat and Frank Butcher on Eastenders carrying out their lusty desires. I didn't particularly like looking at it, but who the f*** am I to say two people can't kiss. Fair's fair.

 

[happypig]

The fact that neither the pub nor the brewery have made any comment is no surprise, they will want to find out exactly what went on before they talk to the press. My first though on reading it was that it wasn't actually the landlord/lady.
As to the right to kick out who they like, they have to comply with anti discrimination laws like any other business; To ban kissing is lawful, to ban gays kissing is not.

 

[Triggaaar]

If it was a quick peck on the lips (which I doubt) there is no way I would kick them out, however if they were snogging then no matter if they were gay or straight I would ask them to stop or wait for the night clubs to open, then if they continued I would remove them gay or straight.

The thing is, I've seen a lot of straight couples snogging in pubs, but Ive never witness any being asked to stop snogging. Depending on whether the gay couple were being over the top, it sounds like the pub were out of order.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

I'd draw the line at fisting.

Homophobe

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Naughty gay gays

 

[Hunting 784561]

Slightly off-topic, but a similar theme, in the early 80s my friends and I got thrown out of a pub in central Swansea because one of the women we were with was drinking a pint of Guinness.

"It's upsetting my regulars, seeing a woman drinking out of a pint glass," was his reasoning.

She was offered the choice of desisting forthwith and switching to halves, or leaving. We left.

Apparently we still live in such enlightened times.

Indeed