Gay rights protesters are staging a ‘big gay kiss in’ at Sainsbury’s in Hackney Road, London, tomorrow after two men were reprimanded for holding hands in the branch.
Nearly 300 people have indicated they will attend the event, organised on Facebook, to show solidarity with the gay couple who complained about their treatment by a staff member.
Thomas Rees and Joshua Bradwell said a security guard had taken them aside after their shopping trip to say a woman had complained about their behaviour.
Rees complained about the guard on Twitter and said he was “essentially just holding my boyfriend’s hand as I do every day”.
Sainsbury’s promptly apologised and offered the couple a £10 voucher.
But the news quickly travelled across the national media and provoked widespread outrage.
Commenters on the ‘big gay kiss in’ event page said the demonstration would hammer home the need to stamp out intolerant attitudes.
“Not only does it remind Sainsbury’s that they need to train and educate their staff but it also reminds the straight world that what is taken for granted by them is not by same sex couples, who fear and experience harassment for carrying out a normal act of affection,” said one Facebook user.
Sainsbury’s voiced its support for the event. “We do our best to make sure everyone feels welcome in our stores, but with over 160,000 colleagues across the country, we will occasionally make mistakes,” it said.
“We have apologised to Thomas and Josh for their unfair treatment earlier in the week and we understand why people want to come together to highlight this issue. We hope tomorrow’s event provides an opportunity for the community to show their support at what we hope will be an enjoyable event.”
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