Good NewsMontreal bar owner apologizes for kicking out kissing lesbian couple
Thanks to the outpouring of support from friends and strangers alike, a young lesbian couple has received an apology from a bar owner for a manager's homophobic behaviour.
Last Friday evening, Jess Goldberg and Carolyn Shaughnessy, both in their early 20s, were kicked out of La Manoir, a bar in Pointe-Claire, Que., for kissing.
Goldberg told CBC News that the manager approached the couple and told them to stop after they kissed.
"I was on the phone in the corner and [my girlfriend] came up behind me, and she hugged me and kissed me on the cheek, and he approached us," Shaughnessy told Global News.
[ Good News: Reindeer Cam gives 24/7 access to Santa's team ]
About two hours later, the women kissed again. They were asked to leave.
The women posted complaints on the bar's Facebook page and on their own pages, horrified by the act of homophobia.
"I got kicked out of a bar in the West Island last night, Manoir to be exact. I've been going to this bar for years, I got kicked out because I was kissing a girl. Please someone tell me we went back in time, this is 2013!!" Goldberg wrote.
Le Manoir's page was immediately flooded with comments both urging the bar to apologize and encouraging customers to boycott the establishment until it did.
Friends, strangers and local LGBT groups all offered their support.
[ Good News: Man apologizes on Facebook for mugging 35 years earlier ]
"PDA between same sex couples is still a trigger element for a lot of people’s inner homophobia," said David Platt, President of Gris-Montreal. "They're not used to seeing two people displaying affection who are of the same sex."
Yesterday, Le Manoir president Peter Sergakis posted an apology on the bar's Facebook page:
Brasserie Le Manoir of Pointe Claire and its president, Mr. Peter Sergakis, wish to express their deepest apologies to all, but more specifically, to the whole Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community (LGBT) and such, pursuant to the extreme actions taken this past Saturday by of one of the Manoir Pointe-Claire employees. Although the company does not tolerate indecency in its establishments in accordance with the Law, it appears that the employee who decided to proceed with the expulsion of two of our clients last Saturday showed a great lack of discernment which is necessary for the undertaking of his functions. The isolated incident is in no way a reflection of the values of the said company and its president Mr Peter Sergakis. I take it upon myself personally to reiterate to my employees those said values and to make sure that they put them to use in all my establishments in the future.
Sergakis, who also owns one of North America's largest gay bars, the Sky Complex, located in Montreal's gay village, emphasized to CBC News that the manager's behaviour did not reflect his company's values.
"If he would have called me and told me that two girls were kissing, I’d tell him that’s normal today and I would tell him not to throw them out," Segakis told Global News.
