Rebekah Galbraith A lesbian couple is pressing ahead with a Human Rights Commission complaint against a Wellington bar it says threw them out for a kiss, as the bar sticks by its bouncer who denies he ejected them for their sexuality. Rebekah Galbraith says a doorman asked her and her girlfriend Jennie Leadbeater to leave Courtenay Place’s Public after seeing them kiss in the early hours of Sunday morning. She says he then admitted targeting them because they were gay. The bar claims the couple was ‘acting inappropriately’ on a table. The owner has also accused the couple of seeking its 15 minutes of fame with the allegations. Victoria University Students’ Association Queer Rights Officer Genevieve Fowler is friends with the couple and has worked with Galbraith in the lgbt community in Wellington for some time. “I have no reason to believe these allegations of unruly behaviour,” she says. “What has been really heartening is, despite the fact that there are some really nasty rumours out there about them, is the overwhelming support that we have received from the Wellington community and the wider glbt New Zealand community. It’s great to know that we have so many allies standing with us. It’s really overwhelming.” Fowler agrees the case exemplifies the power of social media, pointing out the original open letter Galbraith wrote has been liked more than 1,000 times and received hundreds of comments. “And that’s been criticised as well, with ‘oh it’s just trial by social media’, and well, this is the new age of democracy really, isn’t it?” Fowler is helping the couple with its complaint to the Human Rights Commission, and says they are hoping this will result in a mediation session with Public. “We’re very keen to meet with them. More than anything that we want for ourselves, we want awareness about this, that these attitudes still exist and that you shouldn’t ever feel ashamed or persecuted about your sexuality in ‘public’.” The women are also hoping for an apology and for training for Public’s bouncers. The Human Rights Commission says sexual orientation is one of the grounds in the Human Rights Act where discrimination is potentially unlawful. It says when it receives a complaint, it needs to be assessed, and if the issue sits within the Commission's jurisdiction, the Commission's Enquiries and Complaints Service can offer to help resolve the dispute. Fowler says speaking out is really hard, so she is proud of her friends. She says there is no way they are just fame-seekers. “And what a horrible thing to be jostled into the limelight for,” she says. “And it is the actions of a single employee. Many of the Public staff are gay themselves and are lovely,” she says, agreeing it must be a tough situation for them to be in, with the owner “picking the wrong person to back”.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 24th April 2012 - 11:17am