Lesbian couple ‘jeered at’ and ‘abused’ by staff after kissing in restaurant
The couple were shouted at by staff in the restaurant. (Alice Bowerman)
A lesbian couple in Nottingham say they were “jeered at” and “abused” at a takeaway restaurant after sharing a kiss.
Alice Bowerman, 31, said she was “shocked and angered” after she and her partner, 34, were shouted at by staff in Turkish takeaway restaurant Marmaris in the early hours of Monday morning, August 26.
She told the BBC: “It was nothing outrageous, just a normal kiss – like any couple would do on a night out.”
She posted her story on Facebook, and said staff in the restaurant told them “we don’t want to see that here” and “we have families here”, despite the incident occurring at 3.30 am.
When she asked if they would say the same to an opposite-sex couple, staff responded: “No, because that’s normal.”
She claimed that when she confronted the restaurant’s manager, he said: “I like to see girls kiss.”
Alice Bowerman reported the “hate incident” to police, which allegedly occurred at takeaway Marmaris in Nottingham. (Google Maps)
The lesbian couple are now calling for others to boycott the restaurant after the “hate incident” was reported.
Bowerman said she has always felt safe in Nottingham, but is now sharing her story and calling for others to boycott Marmaris. She added: “If you are LGBTQ+ I would never go here.”
She said the incident would not stop the couple from publicly showing their love for each other, and added: “While there are people out there like this we will always need Pride to educate people… Discrimination against anyone is never acceptable and should never be tolerated.”
According to the BBC, Nottinghamshire Police said: “A hate incident has been reported and officers are continuing to investigate.
“We’d like to thank the victim for reporting and we will be providing the appropriate support to them.”
Homophobic and transphobic hate crime has more than doubled in England and Wales in the last four years.
Marmaris declined the BBC‘s request for comment. PinkNews has also contacted Marmaris for comment.
