Gay couple ‘asked to leave Wetherspoon pub after kissing’
The couple did not want to be named because they said the incident at the Rodboro Buildings in Guildford, Surrey, had left them feeling “mortified”.
A member of door staff at the pub told the pair to leave the pub after they kissed as they were making their way out of the venue on Saturday night (17 September 2018).
“We'd been out for a friend's birthday, it was the end of the night and we were ready to leave. Our two friends were outside waiting for us,” one of the couple told The Morning Advertiser.
He continued: “We were on our way down the stairs when we stopped and had a kiss, there was nobody around, my partner would never have kissed me if there was, he doesn't like public displays of affection.
“Then suddenly there was a shout from the bottom of the stairs by one of the door staff saying ‘oi you two, out’.”
Difficult to investigate
The staff member responded ‘because of that on the stairs’ when asked why the couple were told to leave, the 42 year-old man said.
“I replied ‘you're kicking us out because I kissed my boyfriend?’”
“He just said ‘out’ so I asked him again but he decided not to reply.”
A spokesperson for the pubco said it would not respond to the individual claim because it would be difficult to investigate.
The spokesperson added: “However, in general, as long as people are well behaved in our pubs, they can do as they wish and if that means a man kissing a man – no problem.”
A friend of the couple posted on Twitter about what had happened: “Some friends of mine (both men in a committed relationship) got thrown out of @Wetherspoon__UK Guildford yesterday merely for kissing each other. Seems they like to serve hate and homophobia with the friendly beer.”
