Wednesday, March 31, 2010 12:44 PM

this is infuriating. that woman's business should be boycotted. i vote for a kiss-in too.

there are are some comments worth reading under the article at thecord.ca. it's amazing to me that people can continue to be so hateful while disguising their hate as righteousness.

we still have a long, long way to go... sigh

Farah Khan

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 1:59 PM

Thank you for running this but just to clear up something: the couple wasn't kicked out but publicly shame and left. Also, the comments above were written by Zoey Heath, and not Jenny Kirby.

The facebook page and it's administrators aren't calling for a boycott as we believe that this type of action is up to the individual. Instead, there will be a rally commencing at Waterloo Town Square starting at 2pm on April 10th, and a march to the corner of King and Princess for a kiss-in. It would be nice to have support from communities everywhere! We aren't that far from Toronto!

Administrator from "Taking Action Against Homophobia in Waterloo Region"

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 2:08 PM

If same sex marriage is legal in this country then a same sex couple exchanging a show of affection is also legal and I would think is protected by our Charter, no?

Mike Halwa

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 4:43 PM

Well we have to contradictory stories here. One of "just kissing no tongue I swear" and one of "necking in a family restaurant" to be honest I'd kick out a couple being inappropriately sexual in a restaurant (or respect it if I had such an occurrence happen to me). So all in all, I think the only thing fair to do (which this article really isn't doing) is stay impartial and respect that we don't have all the required info to make a fair decision.

note: a private establishment has the right to boot people for whatever they feel like so the charter is moot.

Mike

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 4:15 PM

I agree with the comment above from Mike. Without a third independent party stating what degree of affection was actually being shown, it is hard to say whether any action is appropriate here. If I was owner of an establishment and a couple (homosexual or heterosexual) was exchanging anything other than a peck or a quick kiss, I wouldn't want them hanging around either. I would excercise my right to kindly ask them to discontinue or to pay their bill and come back sometime when they are willing to not engage in the same behaviour.

Adrian

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 10:17 PM

Just a quick comment: The Charter only applies to actions by the government, not companies nor private citizens.

Tom

Tom

Thursday, April 1, 2010 2:47 AM

This reminds me of the pushy lesbo in Vancouver suing the comic. It's private property...her cafe...her rules. I'm gay and I certainly don't want to see two rug-munchers going at it.

ron

Thursday, April 1, 2010 9:21 PM

I have been reading some of the responses to this article and I'm appalled that some people are actually siding with the owner of the restaurant! While I agree that certain levels of sexual displays aren't appropriate for any couple regardless of it being same-sex or not, I don't think it is right for the owner to kick couples out for kissing or making out.

Based on the countless amounts of times that I've seen heterosexual couples making out and engaging in other sexual activities at restaurants and in other establishments with no one saying anything about it - it's clear that this incident is an act of blatant homophobia. The restaurant owner is trying to save her own ass by suggesting that PDAs are offensive to children and seniors - weak excuses!

Also, the customer who showed up in the bathrobe/without pants was not told to leave - which to me would seem way more inappropriate than a same-sex couple kissing in public.

I wasn't there. I didn't witness what happened, but based on the information it's clear that the owner is a fault here. Totally in support of the kiss-in protest!

Laura

Saturday, April 3, 2010 10:49 AM

In The Record one of the women described the kiss as "a peck" yet said it went on for 20 seconds. So 20 seconds is NOT "a peck" and personally, I am embarrassed when anyone kisses for this long in public and it doesn't matter if it is men kissing women, or women kissing each other etc. Some people are just exhibitionists and like the attention I guess--and the rest of us are supposed to put up with it. It is true the cafe owner over-reacted and should have just let them show their public affection and leave. It is also true that getting a facebook group together and staging a "kiss in" is also another over-reaction. Can we not devote time to _important_ things like legal rights for gays, peace in the middle east, the closure of prison farms in Canada? Staging a "kiss in" just shows how much time some people have to waste.

Anton

Saturday, April 3, 2010 2:16 PM

Can't prove this a homophobic issue, but it certainly seems small minded at least. Canada's firing off guns in foreign countries where we have no business in the first places, and here's someone taking issue with people kissing in public. We need to grow up fast as a society, get over turning up our noses at other people's expressions of love, ... See Morelearn to live and let live, mind our own business, and, in this case, be more gracious to our guests and customers. This incident may seem small potatoes, but as a society we don't have time for this kind of intolerant nonsense. If we're going to be intolerent, then, at the very least we should warn our customers or guests up front and in advance if there is behavior we don't want them to bring to our premises. At least then they would know the inside dirt on how they can expect to be treated.

Ron

Saturday, April 3, 2010 2:32 PM

Mature put up with legal activity in public, even if it embarrasses us, and even IF it is exhibitionistic. What God given right do we have to insist on a one peck rule. People who are embarrassed with public kissing should be ashamed at their lack of maturity. I am equally hard on myself for lesser forms of intolerance. Even though I don't follow hockey, I'm constantly confronted with hockey violence on public television sets in eating establishments. At least tonsil hockey isn't as violent as regular hockey.

Ron

Sunday, April 4, 2010 2:22 AM

I got denied an education where the f--- was the majority of the gay and lesbian community then. I protested for over a week outside the college. I got one lesbian to whom I am very grateful for. They got asked to leave for kissing in a restaurant, a private business. I was asked not to kiss my ex wife in a restaurant when I was still trying to be a man. I am not saying it is right, but as long as its directed toward everyone it is not discrimination. I wish the GLB community would leave the T off. The majority of the GLB community has never supported transsexual rights and never will. The only reason they tack the T on the end is to get more funding. One of the organizers asked me to speak at this a member of Pride Conestoga. Where were they when I was being harassed and intimated by other students at the college. Queer these days in inclusive to transgender, xTra is Gay and Lesbian only. I told extra about my troubles at the college and Xtra ignored me. Remove the T From GLB because it's only used to get more funding or to pretend to be supportive.How about we demonstrate at a club where I was repeatably being called sir, asked if I shaved my nuts by one of the bartenders, called a fag in a dress, and treated like a complete outcast by everyone in there. When I approached members of the so called GLBT community I was ignored. The club is called Club Renaissance.

Janet Merner

Sunday, April 4, 2010 9:28 AM

This was a comment I had written to the facebook group, but I figured I'd share to this network:


I joined this group to say one thing, and then I shall be leaving, do not expect any response. However, before I write my issue, I would like to say that I support homosexual rights, but I do not support this group.

After reading all sides of this story from numerous sources, and learning of other examples of this in the past, I, a straight male, now feel threatened to confront any homosexual couple with a concern no matter how warranted it may be. I keep seeing the attitude of "any potential homophobic issue, no matter how small, has to be dealt with", and it makes me fear that any actions I take while in contention with a same-sex couple will be misconstrued for and by the public eye, thus, I feel my own reputation, my friends reputation, and my families reputation would be in danger.

Precedents are continuously being set that any issue, no matter how small or convoluted, should be held as an attack against homosexuals. I firmly believe that if this group feels victimized in society then the rally should be held half a year from now, not in direct response to this issue; this is a huge step back for your community.

Congratulations, you are gaining support for equal rights not through a basic idea that we are born equal, but through fear

John

Monday, April 5, 2010 11:47 PM

Cafe 1842. Who'd have thought that the policies of 1842 were still in effect? Ah, the good old days, when being out and proud was a capital crime in England and the colonies. What a pity that Canada's reputation for civil rights is being tarnished by this small-minded business owner... but the remarks on the Cord article suggest that she's not exclusively homophobic, she's simply rude to nearly everyone. Sad, if true. As for a kiss-in vs a boycott... well, my same-sex spouse (is it illegal for married people to kiss in public in Canada? Or is Waterloo just a little behind in terms of civil rights?) will be out of town, so I'll just have to come and cheer on the kissers. I can't call my intentions re: 1842 a 'boycott,' but whether it's homophobia or rudeness--I don't care. I'll be damned if I'm going to spend money at a business that makes a habit of embarrassing customers. A quiet word to the kissing couple would have been sufficient.

Lee Rowan

Tuesday, April 6, 2010 8:48 PM

As Janet mentioned above. Trans people don't get mentioned when it glbt issues We get discriminated against by gay and lesbians. This facebook group is making a big deal out of this situation,they should be really focusing on the entire queer community, not just some lesbians that got kicked out of a cafe. I think it's rather silly and will not be participating.

K

Friday, April 9, 2010 4:10 PM

'"I leaned over and pecked her on the mouth. It was a 20-second peck," said Heath, a 24-year-old photography student at Conestoga College.'

Yeah, "20-second peck"

A