St. Paul, Minnesota, Ben Sanson-Ngiratregd, gay bashing
Ben Sanson-Ngiratregd (image via kstp.com)

A gay man named Ben Sanson-Ngiratregd says a bouncer at Barrio, a Latin American restaurant and bar in St. Paul, Minnesota, gave him a black eye and a concussion on Sunday night after he kissed his boyfriend at the bar.

Sanson-Ngiratregd told KSTP.com:

“A guy came behind me and grabbed my shirt. He’s like ‘You can’t do that in here.’ He was calling me a very derogatory name for me being gay.”

“I told him to get his hands off of me and then he just started punching me in my face. I have bumps and bruises all over my body, I was thrown down cement stairs, dragged across the floor.”

Related: Recent queer bashings in Dallas and Denver leave gay man and trans woman partially paralyzed

However, Barrio disputes Sanson-Ngiratregd’s version of events. In a statement, the restaurant said:

“We are continuing to investigate the incident that took place early Sunday morning at Barrio Lowertown, but based on what we know so far — the account of our security guard as well as those of a number of witnesses and our review of our security footage — we believe our colleague acted only to defend himself and to ensure the safety of our other guests when physically attacked. At no time did any Barrio employee or anyone else associated with our restaurant punch a guest during this incident.”

If Sanson-Ngiratregd’s account proves true, it’ll be merely the most recent case of a restaurant discriminating against LGBTQ customers.

In December 2018, a South Carolina restaurant put a note which read “fag” into a gay customer’s takeout bag. In June 2018, a Florida restaurant called a lesbian couple “disgusting.” In August 2017, a Washington D.C. restaurant shamed a gay couple for wanting to share a sundae.

In January 2017, a South Africa restaurant denied a gay couple service during their “date night” promotion. In December 2014, a London restaurant told a lesbian couple that their kisses were “inappropriate.” In May 2014, a Texas restaurant told a gay couple they “don’t serve f*gs.”

In December 2013, a Montreal restaurant kicked out a lesbian couple for their public display of affection. In November 2013, a Georgia restaurant said it has the right to deny entry to a trans woman.

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