Some LGBT patrons at a British supermarket spoke out against homophobia in a truly beautiful way this weekend.
About 200 people staged a mass “kissathon,” Aug. 13 at Sainsbury’s in East London in defense of a gay couple who had reportedly been removed from the store after a customer complained that they had been “touching inappropriately” days earlier, The Guardian reports. Thomas Rees, 32, and boyfriend Joshua Bradwell, 25, had been simply holding hands at the time.
Rees shared his frustrations about the incident in a strongly-worded tweet Aug. 8, which received more than 250 retweets and 600 likes.
The store responded to the tweet with an apology and a 10-pound (approximately $12.88 in U.S. dollars) voucher, the BBC reports. But Rees said he wasn’t satisfied, noting that he was hoping for a phone call from a shop employee explaining how staff are trained in diversity.
“I have nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. I shouldn’t be removed from the store,” Rees said. He went on to note that he “feel[s] for the security guard because he was clearly unable or poorly equipped to handle these situations.”
When demonstrators arrived at the store Saturday, they set up audio speakers playing songs by Diana Ross and Donna Summer before filling the aisles. After a short “countdown,” they began kissing passionately amidst the canned goods and produce.
“We never set out to demonize a supermarket or a security team,” Rees told the crowd, as seen in the video above. “Our intentions were simple: to highlight that, unfortunately, in 2016, homophobia still exists. No matter what or how you identify or who you love, it’s a human right to express that love as you see fit.”
The supermarket’s staff appeared to take the kissathon in stride. A spokesperson for the chain described the event as “really great” in an interview with The Guardian, calling it “an important opportunity for the community to show their support.”
“We do our best to make sure everyone feels welcome in our stores but occasionally we make mistakes,” the spokesperson said. “We are working hard to make sure lessons are learnt.”
What a beautiful, loving way to speak out against discrimination!
H/T Towleroad
Before You Go
