A KFC franchise in England has apologized after allegedly kicking a lesbian couple out for what's been described by customers as "heavy petting."
As The Independent is reporting, the couple -- whose names were not published -- told local authorities they were verbally abused by KFC staff after the incident, which took place at a franchise in Bath. The father of one of the women is quoted by The Gay UK as saying on Twitter that the manager "just kicked my daughter and her [girlfriend] out for being gay."
A KFC spokesman apologized, but specified he did not "believe that the decision had anything to do" with the couple's sexuality. The women, he added, have since been given vouchers for a return visit to the restaurant.
“Staff acted in response to complaints from customers about inappropriate behavior," he is quoted as saying.
A number of restaurants and other businesses have been caught in similar alleged flaps over same-sex kisses taking place on the premises. In 2012, an Arizona-based lesbian couple claimed that a manager at the Sheraton Phoenix's District American Kitchen and Wine Bar told them to "get a room" during an anniversary dinner, while in October 2013, a Chicago-based gay couple filed a human rights complaint against an Illinois taxi company because a driver allegedly told them to leave his cab after they kissed in the back seat.
Similarly, Jess Goldberg and Carolyn Shaughnessy, a Canadian couple, claimed they were approached by the manager of Le Manoir in Pointe-Claire in Montreal, who told them to stop after they shared a kiss at the bar on Nov. 29, 2013. Two hours later, Goldberg said she and Shaughnessy were asked to leave after they kissed again.
Owner Peter Sergakis quickly issued an apology for the incident, which he called an "isolated gesture" that "does not reflect the values of the company" or himself on the bar's Facebook page. Still, he said the women went beyond an appropriate public display of affection that continued for 16 minutes, according to CJAD, and was captured on security cameras.
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