After Tennessee state Senator Stacey Campfield (right) sponsored the “Don’t Say Gay” bill—and went on to compare homosexuality to bestiality in a radio interview—he apparently made some enemies in his hometown.
Go figure.
On Sunday The ginger-haired jerk tried to order brunch at Bistro at the Bijou on Gay Street (love the irony there) but owner Martha Boggs sent him packing.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
You might think, given his “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, that state Sen. Stacey Campfield might stay away from eateries on Gay Street, but no, yesterday he tried to have brunch at Bistro at the Bijou. We say “tried” because owner Martha Boggs told him to leave.
“I didn’t want his hate in my restaurant,” Boggs said in a interview this morning. “I told him he wasn’t welcome here… I feel like he’s gone from being stupid to being dangerous, and I wanted to stand up to him.”
Boggs is known for running a great restaurant, but she wasn’t afraid to burn the good senator. After the incident, she posted the following on the bistro’s Facebook page:
Hundreds of people have “Liked” the comment and posted words of support.
“Good job & certainly hopefully an improvement towards bettering our great state’s public image. I hope the whole experience of the past week has taught a lesson to the Senator about educating oneself before opening one’s mouth. I will certainly make a point of visiting the Bistro next time I’m in Knoxville!”
“I wholeheartedly support your decision to refuse service to Stacey Campfield! Thank you for taking the opportunity to send the message many of us wish to send. Let’s hope others will do the same and Mr. Campfield will not be re-elected yet again.”
Good on you Ms. Boggs! What was that fool Campfield trying to do anyway? Doesn’t he know brunch is the gayest meal of the day? We invented brunch! Go have second breakfast at Chick-Fil-a, Senator. We’re sure they have a booth waiting.
DC Dookie
I agree with the restaurant owner’s sentiment, however, she probably should have taken the high road and simply told Campfield something to the effect of, “We’ll serve you because we’re not bigots like you.” Fighting hate with hate only leads to warring. Acts like this (and glitter-bombing—ugh) only give ammunition to those who don’t approve of us. The only way to earn peoples’ respect is with sanity and maturity (note the lack of both in Oakland with the OWS people, who now have the support of a whopping 15% of the American public due to their unnecessary violent acts).
ashton cruz
Bravo! Its only when we take a stand that these assholes start to listen. Lets hope every gay and gay friendly Tennessean within a 100 mile radius floods this establishment to show their appreciation.
Edric Floyd
I support the restaurant owner in Knoxville. BUT the last line in the Queerty article was totally uncalled for! “Go have second breakfast at Chick-Fil-a, Senator. We’re sure they have a booth waiting.” Say what you want about Chick-Fil-A but one thing they have NOT done was to ask someone to leave who didn’t “agree” with their “values
Caliban
You’re right, Edric, Chik-fil-A just uses their gay customers’ money to finance campaigns against their civil rights. How very big of them.
Queerty left out one little detail that makes this story that much better.
Where is Bistro On The Bayou located?
On Gay Street. Seriously.
The author of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill was refused service on Gay Street.
Marie Cohn
He got off lucky–I would have had one of my kitchen staff hock a diseased loogie on his Eggs Benedict.
DC Dookie
@Marie Cohn: I hope I never have to eat at your restaurant where one’s food is contaminated due to one’s political affiliations. What you’re suggesting is not only immoral, it’s likely a felony in certain states. What ever happened to debate and discussion? Oh yeah, apparently they got upstaged by glitter-bombing and food contamination.
ps – If your kitchen staff who hocked a loogie in Plainfield’s food had AIDS or any other communicable disease, it’s YOU who would be on trial for attempted murder. So please inform: Where is this restaurant of yours that poisons people for having dissenting opinions?
FreddyMertz
Ah…but Chick-Fil-A is closed on Sundays.
ptboat
@Edric Floyd: Thhttp://collegian.csufresno.edu/2011/02/18/chick-fil-a-accused-of-discrimination/ey just fire you.
ptboat
@DC Dookie: @DC Dookie: @Edric Floyd: Thhttp://collegian.csufresno.edu/2011/02/18/chick-fil-a-accused-of-discrimination/ey just fire you.
I think contaminating food is unconscionable, but you might want to brush up on how HIV is spread. I think anyone would rather be asked to leave from a restaurant than have such a vile thing happen to them though.
Wesley Horace
@Caliban: and chick fil a can do whatever they like with their own profits. but i certainly am glad that they haven’t kicked anybody out for being gay. the two actions are not the same at all.
Larry
dc dookie…the war started a long time ago and it wasn’t by the gays. she has the right to refuse service and I for one am glad she did
Jakey
@DC Dookie: Good God, lightn up. You really think she was speaking the absolute literal truth about how she would run a restaurant?
Bravo to the actual restaurant owner, btw, and I’m jealous of her getting to do it. Besides the message it sends and the thought experiment it (hopefully) started cranking in Campfield’s brain, it must have been so very satisfying to kick him out.
Charlie
Good for her! I wouldn’t want to eat an omelette next to a cretin like that.
Marie Cohn
Jakey: you get me. I love you. DC Dookie doesn’t.
Caliban
@Wesley Horace: So in other words you’re an apologist for lobbying against a group’s civil rights on a grand scale as in the case of Chik-fil-A and Stacey Campfield, but God forbid a small business owner decides to exercise HER rights? Because there have been several news stories about florists, bakers, photographers, landscapers, B&B owners and others refusing the business of gay people. Yes people complained and protested, as is their right as just as Evangelical shit-heads will probably do against this restaurant, but apparently THAT isn’t illegal.
But let me guess. You defended the business owners in THOSE cases, right? Well belief and conscience work both ways.
B
No. 11 · Larry wrote, “she has the right to refuse service and I for one am glad she did”
Unfortunately, she may not have had the right to do that due to Tennessee having a “public accommodations” clause in its Civil Rights act. It’ll depend on whether the Senator can claim he was discriminated against on the basis of one of the criteria listed in the law – it included “creed” and “religion”, but not (unfortunately) sexual orientation. He’d have to argue that his anti-gay views were religious in nature.
I’m not sure if that would fly. If it doesn’t, you can expect some extensions to the civil rights act that will cover members of the state legislature whose votes on some issue is not to the liking of a restaurant owner.
shannon
THANK YOU DEAR EATERY!! WHEN I COME TO YOUR CITY….YOU WILL BE THE FIRST PLACE I SPEND MY GAY MONEY…IN FACT I WILL MAKE A POINT TO SPEND ALL I CAN WITH YOU! KUDOS….
Steve
While I applaud Martha Boggs for standing up to Senator Campfield, I must observe that it was probably a violation of law. There are “public accommodation” statutes both at the Federal level and in each state. A restaurant that offers fare to the public, is generally required to sell to every member of the public, even hateful politicians. Service can be bad. Food can be cold. But, it must be sold.
A better approach might be to spill something, preferably something that stains clothing, into the Senators lap. Nothing too hot, of course, as you wouldn’t want to injure any member of the public. Just enough to get a round of applause from other patrons.