Apparently, they broke the law in New Mexico – sitting in the front seat of a bus and holding hands while gay.
Ron McCoy and his partner, Chris Bowers, flew into Albuquerque on June 28 for the city’s PrideFest and a Southwest road trip, according to local news station KRQE. After leaving the airport, they hopped on a Standard Parking shuttle bus and sat in the front of the vehicle holding hands.
“I saw him look at us… and he looked so angry,” McCoy told KRQE. “He just blurted out at me, he goes, “Okay, if you’re going to do that, you’re going to the back of the bus.”
Shocked, the two moved, but they had some questions for the driver once they arrived at their stop. When McCoy approached the driver and said he thought they were told to move because they were holding hands, the driver responded, “See, now you’re telling on yourself.”
Last month, weekly publication the Alibi spoke with the shuttle driver, Mychael Jones, about why he made the gay couple to move to the back of the bus. He said he didn’t want “women and children” to see the couple’s “inappropriate behavior.” When asked to identify the “inappropriate behavior,” he would not comment any further.
We all have rights, and those rights must never be violated because of someone’s race, religion, gender or sexual orientation
These are good friends of mine and, as sorry as I am that this happened to them, I hope this story will inspire others to stand up for their rights. Their civil liberties were violated and they deserve justice. They didn’t even get an apology.