We already know that kissing can get gays kicked out of a Baltimore Ravens game, but what does it take to get booted from a North Carolina shopping center? Holding hands.
Caitlin Breedlove, who happens to be co-director of the minority activist group Southerners on New Ground, says she and her girlfriend were told to leave Raleigh’s Cameron Village by a security guard (and the guard’s supervisor) after they finished eating lunch and sat down on a nearby bench, where they shared a peck on the cheek. “And at that point,” says Breedlove, “we asked, ‘Would that be the same if it was a man or a woman?’ Because we see a lot of men and women walking around, holding hands being affectionate and she said, ‘No. It’s because you’re same sex, and it’s not appropriate.'” [ABC 11]
UPDATE: Officials from York Properties, which manages the shopping center, met with the couple Saturday and announced it suspended-slash-reassigned the security guard who asked them to leave, while the guard’s supervisor and other staffers will receive additional sensitivity training. Dan Palatucci, who manages the Flying Biscuit restaurant where the couple ate before being approached by the guard, says he notified Cameron Village brass about the incident. In a statement, the company’s president George York says, “We apologized that the women were offended, and we affirmed that Cameron Village and York Properties, Inc. have no tolerance for discrimination of any kind and believe all people deserve the right to be treated fairly in their work, homes and daily lives.” (York Properties does claim the couple volunteered to leave, countering the claim the security officer told them to go.) Not that the apology means Breedlove is withdrawing plans for a Sunday demonstration across the street.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Quite simple. They don’t want us Gays there we shouldn’t spend our Gay dollars at that center……..
Griff
I wish I lived in the area.. this calls for (at the very least) a Kiss-in
Frank Thomas
Don’t jump to conclusions yet. The restaurant where they ate supports the couple. It was the security arm of York Properties – a group of well-known unprofessional security guards – who enforced this action. And it may have been personal enforcement or York enforcement, not Cameron Village tenant enforcement.
For those of us who live here and know these businesses, we know that most of the businesses would NOT support such a crazy policy. Focus on York – they are the weakest link here.
the crustybastard
I read the words “North Carolina” and I already know what’s coming.
North Carolina. We never fail to fail.™
Stenar
Time for a Kiss-In!
Mike
Hey bastard, what discrimination-free place are you from? I grew up in Raleigh and happen to love the vast majority of the good people in NC — you know, the kind of people who actually respond to a “good morning” or at least acknowledge your existence. Can’t say that I’ve found that sort of basic human decency in most other places in this country.
Bullsh1t, on the other hand, happens everywhere.
ait10101
On my numerous visits to North Carolina I have always found it to be a friendly place. My best compliment (from a hillbilly I was camping near) was “you don’t seem like an academic”.
Forrest
The owner of the center has apologized and suspended the guard. Also ordered sensitivity training for the staff. RaleighDurham Chapel Hill is quite liberal. The latter has a gay mayor. Duke,UNC and the Research Triangle Park give the whole area a progressive vibe.
Bird
I live in the area and frequent Cameron Village — I’m shocked to see that this happened. It’s a fairly liberal area, seeing as how it isn’t exactly the South (we still have sweet tea and say ya’ll, but that’s about as far as it goes).
I’m relieved to hear, though, that it was the security company and NOT Cameron Village itself. Let’s see what a few angry phone calls can do.
the kid
man, she’s hot….too bad shes plays for the other team.
marylander
@the kid: I knew it. I saw her and thought “If any of my straight friends saw her kissing another chick they’d probably stare at her obnoxiously and get a hard-on.”
I guess it’s already been mentioned but we shouldn’t have a knee-jerk reaction to the fact that this happened in the South. There are bigots everywhere.
Kent Peterson
@Mike: Screw you. Those same “good people” who say Hi – good morning – and are oh so Christianly to your face – vote for bigots, rascists and homophobes. I would much rather have them hate me to my face thank you very much. Nothing worse than Back stabbers.
CMartel2
The security guard is the only person in this story who did nothing wrong. This is not welcome in North Carolina or this country.
jwegwert
CMartel2 — just what country did you think you are in?
Jon B
Flying Biscuit is actually a very very gay friendly restaurant chain. When I lived in Atlanta I ate there for brunch every Sunday. A lot of the staff was gay, as well as a lot of the patrons… especially in the midtown location. Don’t know anything about the North Carolina location… but I’m glad that they apologized, even though they weren’t the ones who kicked the couple out.
gina
Let’s see… two women kiss in a shopping center in Raleigh and are absurdly asked to leave. The result… the security officer is immediate suspended.
A few months ago, a trans women comes to the Ball State Hospital ER in Indiana coughing up blood, is ridiculed by several staff members and not given treatment. The result… no staff members are suspended.
What’s wrong with this equation?
gina
Let’s see… two women kiss in a shopping center in Raleigh and are absurdly asked to leave. The result… the security officer is immediate suspended.
A few months ago, a trans woman comes to the Ball State Hospital ER in Indiana coughing up blood, is ridiculed by several staff members and not given treatment. The result… no staff members are suspended.
What’s wrong with this equation?
Mike
@Kent Peterson: Yeah and NC voted for Obama in ’08, and typically votes for Democratic leadership on the state level. And sure, there are plenty of folks there with an attitude problem just like anywhere else. But since when have the Democrats done anything substantial, anyways? (And yes, I still bother to vote Dem in NC, albeit unenthusiastically)
The thing that you and crustybastard don’t seem to understand is that homophobia happens everywhere — big liberal cities like NYC (crazy violent gay bashing anyone?), rural Wyoming, etc etc. My boyfriend and I were assaulted while holding hands not too far from the mini gay mecca in DC.
Small minded people tend to lump everyone into groups, and judge them en masse.
For example, some (not all — notice how I’m not making a generalization) nice happy liberal people from up north find any opportunity they can to denigrate the entire south and all southerners as backwards, dumb, etc, and try to make it seem like they themselves have never so much as countenanced a wayward thought.
Give me a break. “All North Carolinians are failures” is the same thing as an ignorant person saying that ‘all gays are perverts,’ and I’m actually feeling dumber having had to point that out.