Lesbian couple told they should be ‘put in a cage’ by hotel owner
A lesbian couple from Edinburgh were reportedly told they should be “put in a cage” by the owner of a hotel they were staying at in Newcastle.
Nicole Calder and Lauren Inglis were on a trip to the city in north-east England to celebrate Calder’s birthday with two friends.
The couple stayed at Clifton Mount Hotel, but say they were subjected to homophobic slurs by other guests when they returned to their room in the early hours of Saturday morning, reports the Scottish Sun.
The couple were staying at the Clifton Mount Hotel in Newcastle. (Google Maps)
The pair then emailed a complaint to the hotel management.
However, owner Andy Singh responded, dismissing the couple’s claims as “lies,” writing: “Most of what you are saying is not true.”
In a later email, Singh added: “Your not fit enough to stay in a hotel people like you should be put in a cage with the rest of the wild animals [sic].”
Speaking to the Scottish Sun, Calder, a taxi driver, said: “I couldn’t believe it when he said ‘people like you should be put in a cage’. It was really upsetting, how can people still think like that?
“He said ‘people like you’. It was clearly homophobic, nobody could say otherwise.”
Calder and Inglis believe the hotel owner’s response was homophobic. (Nicole Calder/Facebook)
But Singh denied to the Metro that his response was homophobic.
“Under no circumstances have I anything against gay people, this is simply an excuse for a refund I am against liars which she clearly is and I have CCTV to prove everything I am saying is true,” he told the paper.
Singh also claimed that the couple were abusive.
“The staff member explained to Nicole and the group that it was a misunderstanding and they shouldn’t be feeling uncomfortable.
“On the morning of departure the guest slammed her key down and was very rude and I stand by [my] emails.”
PinkNews has contacted Calder and Inglis, and Clifton Mount Hotel, for comment.
