Apologies after gay students ejected from bar ‘for kissing’
The owners of the Old Oak bar in Cork, Ireland met with a gay couple on Monday night and apologised after bouncers threw one of the men out of the venue for kissing his partner.
The two students, who wish to remain anonymous, had been drinking and dancing at the venue in the small hours of Sunday morning.
After sharing a kiss near the main stage, a bouncer asked the pair, one of whom is a student at the Cork Institute of Technology, CIT, to cease the display of affection.
Undeterred, the couple continued to kiss until one of them was removed from the bar.
A Facebook page which was set up to promote a boycott of the bar gained 5,000 members in a matter of days, backed by the student unions of CIT and University College Cork.
Bar owner Ger Kiely extended an invitation to the pair to meet on Tuesday evening.
Mr Kiely and the two men issued the following statement: “After deliberations and discussions both parties accepted and conceded that mistakes were made by all involved.
“The Old Oak apologised for any offence which was taken, but stressed that no offence whatsoever was meant or intended as we are not and never have been anti-gay.
“Equally the couple involved, who wish to remain anonymous, accepted that they could have handled matters in a better way. Both parties look forward to continuing good relations and custom.”
Chris Scanlon, CIT student union president called for an end to the boycott, saying: “Thankfully the problem has been sorted out quickly. And I would urge anyone using social media to prolong the situation to leave it alone.”
