Gay couple who kissed during Valentine’s meal leave restaurant when owner tells them it is ‘family friendly’
'It’s really sad that I just want to have a nice evening with the man I love,' says Sam Anderson after he and partner Angus Reilly walk out of premises
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Your support makes all the difference.A gay couple who “kissed briefly” during a meal to mark Valentine’s Day walked out of the restaurant when its owner confronted them and said it was a “family-friendly” environment.
Sam Anderson and Angus Reilly had been enjoying their dinner in The Mumbai Inn in Leicester and had moments earlier swapped gifts as part of their romantic celebration.
But it turned sour when owner Andaz Rana approached them and claimed another customer was “uncomfortable” with their public display of affection.
The pair said they were “shocked” and left after feeling they had been discriminated against.
Mr Anderson explained how they pair ended up kissing during their early Valentine’s Day meal last Monday – two days ahead of the official occasion – when they walked into The Mumbai Inn.
“We were shown to our table, it was pretty quiet. And then Angus gave me a Valentine Day’s present. We then kissed across the table briefly,” he told BBC Asian Network.
“A couple of minutes later probably, Mr Rana (the owner) came up to the table and stood over us, in a fairly intimidating way, we felt. He told us it was a family-friendly restaurant. We weren’t asked to stop, weren’t made aware of any customer complaint that he’d had.
“I was really shocked, I didn’t really know what to say. We were just told it’s a ‘family-friendly’ restaurant – a phrase that I definitely do associate with homophobia.
“And yes, some people might have issues with public displays of affection but it was Valentine’s period.”
Mr Rana, the owner of The Mumbai Inn, told the same programme that he approached Mr Anderson and Mr Reilly because a customer had supposedly made a complaint over the couple’s kiss.
“They said they were not feeling comfortable. It’s a PDA (public display of affection). Somebody said there were underage people next to him having dinner and somebody’s sons – around nine-10 years’ old, and they were feeling uncomfortable.”
He apologised to Mr Anderson and Mr Reilly, saying: “If they feel bad, from my side I am saying sorry.” The Independent tried to contact Mr Rana for comment but was unable to reach him.
Mr Anderson said: “You know as a gay couple this stuff happens, but the worst part is that you don’t know when. It’s really sad that I just want to have a nice evening with the man I love.”
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