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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that the landlord of the pub in Soho was within his rights to ask the couple to leave?

223 replies

CUKAmbassador · 16/04/2011 14:39

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13103647

We've all seen the story. It seems to me that it's completely blown out of all proportion in exactly the same way that the couple with the B&B did not want gay couples staying under their roof.

If you were sat in a pub/restaurant and a heterosexual couple started getting steamed up, kissing passionately, hands all over each other, you'd be like 'Get a room' or 'take it outside'. I personally would move to another seat, I don't want to see it, straight or gay.

I think you should be allowed to ask people to move/leave for whatever reason if there is no prejudice and think this is another classic example of bleeding heart lefties using tactics to make the majority feel like the minority.

AIBU?

OP posts:
LadyOfTheManor · 16/04/2011 19:42

Well he hasn't. The pub has kept a dignified silence. They were asked to stop kissing and didn't. They did it again and were asked to leave. If they were heterosexual people wouldn't be kicking off. THe KISS is the problem and the KISS is enough reason to ask someone to leave with legal rights, not who was giving and taking the KISS.

Goblinchild · 16/04/2011 19:43

Dignified silence?
Or in a corner with their hands over their ears going 'ohfuckohfuckohfuck' whilst their lawyers and spin doctors decide what to say next.

BecauseImWoeufIt · 16/04/2011 19:46

If they were heterosexual people wouldn't be kicking off.

Exactly. If they were heterosexual they wouldn't have been asked to leave.

LadyOfTheManor · 16/04/2011 19:47

Goblin it isn't illegal to ask people to leave a premises UNLESS you say;

"Get out of my pub I don't approve of your lifestyle".

Anything said wasn't said in reference to their sexual orientation and therefore was not law breaking.

chocolatecoveredlissielou · 16/04/2011 19:50

lol goblinchild.

LOTM, if it was a kiss then the landlord cannot claim that he has acted without prejudice. its a pub. people kiss in pubs. in fact, its likely that other couples were having the odd smooch at the same time.

however, if the couple were full on pashing and crawling all over each other the landlord is within his rights and can claim that he merely exercised his right to refuse.

we cant know what exactly happened. one persons rompfest is anothers smooch.

Goblinchild · 16/04/2011 19:51

I live in hope, but I put more trust in the public protest to encourage the brewery to be more robust in ensuring that equality is a priority.
I remember a time when women were frequently told to leave the bar as the lounge was for ladies and they put men off their drinking if they were in the men's bit.
So I see this as a progression along the same lines of discrimination.

Carminaburana · 16/04/2011 19:55

If a gay couple were asked to leave a pub in Soho they must have been going some - it's the gay capital of London. People don't scare easily around there.

chocolatecoveredlissielou · 16/04/2011 19:57

carmina, im inclined to agree. and I dont know London, Im a country bumpkin!

alistron1 · 16/04/2011 20:08

In one pub my mother ran there was a customer who was profoundly disabled, who couldn't speak properly, who often had urine stains on his trousers... his one pleasure in life was going to the boozer for his two pints of mild (he lived in a sheltered housing complex v. near to the pub). And in fact in the olden days 'bar' system regular customers would have a pint of mild waiting for him.

I'm sure (in fact I know) that many non regular dickwads found his presence offensive. In fact one night he got beaten up by some thugs on his way home. Would my mum have been 'within her rights' to ask him to leave her pub 'cos he was offending other people?

As far as I am aware snogging in a pub is not a criminal offense. Dealing drugs is, punching people is, being underage is (all reasons why I've asked people to leave a pub)... some people are really chatting shit on this thread.

Blu · 16/04/2011 20:15

Carminubara, heterosexual people get icked out of pubs for kissing - how often?

yes, heterosexual peope get kicked out of pubs daily for being drink, fighting - things that are wrong and anti-social.

Blu · 16/04/2011 20:17

And yet Carmna, they and witnesses say they were NOT 'going it'.

Carminaburana · 16/04/2011 20:39

Blu; - I wasn't there at the time so I really don't know how far down their tongues were, but I have been out in Soho quite a few times and have been in gay pubs. - ( it's a very gay area ) can't say I've seen too much snogging. People are usually respectful of other customers and not into common PDA's -
There really isn't anymore to say on this, the pub is well within it's rights to kick out anyone if they've received complaints about them ( and it could well have been gay people complaining) the pub has no case to answer and is probably delighted with all the free publicity.

chocolatecoveredlissielou · 16/04/2011 20:49

alistron, thats awful Sad Im glad that your mother had the bollocks to stand her ground. but there is no "one size fits all" rule in this. she could have asked him to leave, and would have been within her rights to. it wouldnt have been right to, but she could have.

MegBusset · 16/04/2011 20:53

The landlord may have been technically within his rights to chuck out anyone he wanted from his pub for whatever reason. However, unless evidence emerges to the contrary, it seems pretty likely that it was discriminatory and absolutely 100% certain that it was really fucking stupid given that the pub will now be boycotted by the regulars who pay the bills (it is not actually much of a tourist pub but as previously stated, reliant on the media types who work around there).

chocolatecoveredlissielou · 16/04/2011 20:56

totally agree meg.

BecauseImWoeufIt · 16/04/2011 21:00

I doubt they're gaining much from the publicity, since they closed to avoid the protests!

chocolatecoveredlissielou · 16/04/2011 21:08

I cant find any info about whether its a managed house

Carminaburana · 16/04/2011 21:19

Oh well - let's hope the pub closes and all its staff lose their jobs - that will have some of you rolling around on the floor in orgasmic pleasure.

Goblinchild · 16/04/2011 21:21

Why not just replace the landlord, if he proves to have made a discriminatory decision?
Or is that not melodramatic enough?

chocolatecoveredlissielou · 16/04/2011 21:25

Ive been trying to find a statement by the pub owners/brewery. if it is a managed house, he will be replaced and there will be a nice blackboard outside announcing the fact. he may lose his license over this though. even if he doesnt, he will find it very hard to find another pub.

Ryoko · 16/04/2011 21:56

I want to know this did he ask them to stop or just leave, I think that is a big part of it, if he politely asked them to stop or leave and they picked leave, that is very differnt to saying get out.

and frankly the idea of a landlord in Soho being so anti-gay is a total joke, it's Soho after all if he hates seeing gays then he must have owned the joint for five mins before he got horrified.

Carminaburana · 16/04/2011 22:22

Exactly Ryoko: there is no way a pub LL in Soho would be homophobic - I wouldn't be surprised if he's gay himself. The problem with a lot of people is they shoot first and ask questions later - if they ask them at all.

Hysteria is so embarrassing.

Blu · 16/04/2011 23:38

There is a description of the incident here. It's the BBC.
They were told they were being obscene and offensive by the landlady, another customer objected to them being spoken to like that, they got up to leave and gave each other 'a peck' and the landlord became physically aggressive and grabbed Williams.

The pub is owned by brewery Samuel Smith.

claireandmattsmum · 17/04/2011 00:38

It isn't unusual to see gay men kissing in the street in cities (although I must say in the pubs my husband and I frequent we've never seen it). It doesn't bother me (I think most women I know are of the same opinion), but my husband doesn't feel comfortable with it (similarly, most of my male friends too). All the laws in the world can't MAKE someone accept homosexuality. Yes, they should abide by the law, but that doesn't mean they have to like it.

microfight · 17/04/2011 08:11

Oh dear closing on a Friday night that's got to hurt, probably half their takings would be taken Friday night in that area. The LL is going to be in trouble.

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