Mexico City’s Six Flags amusement park recently announced it will drop an “affectionate behavior” ban after complaints there was a same-sex kiss in line for a ride led to a kiss-a-thon protest. On December 29th, a video of the park’s director and security guards went viral on social media, calling attention to the unfair treatment of same-sex couples on site.
While COVID-19 pandemic protocols meant all attendees were requested to maintain social distancing, no canoodling heterosexual couples were reprimanded by the park’s authorities. Couples are intimate anyway, they’re already at risk of spreading COVID-19 to each other, so how would this same-sex couple be breaking any safety rules?
When the video went viral, the local LGBT community organized to protest such discrimination in the form of a “kiss-a-thon.” Those involved used the slogans “No More Homophobia” and “No More Hate,” as they gathered in front of Mexico City’s Six Flags at 4pm. Couples proceeded to kiss within the arches of the parking lot.
Originally, Six Flags Mexico didn’t apologize, stating they are committed to maintaining “a family environment.”
They later took to social media to apologize, admitting their behaviour was discriminatory.
Interestingly, ABC News reported this story as “two gay friends were taken out of a line at a ride for kissing,” and were quick to reassure everyone that “the pair were not expelled from the park.” One commenter on the ABC article, TexasVulcan, wrote, “Everyone knows they are surrounded by gays, etc. But they don’t want to be reminded of it.”
The feeling’s mutual, TexasVulcan. I hate knowing women put up with men. If you’re going to ban all affectionate behavior in order to create a “family environment,” then police the heterosexuals because we definitely see more straight tongues down straight throats than we do gay ones.
