Gay couple told to sit in the back of the bus for holding hands

Ever had one of those moments where you say something stupid, and you only realize how stupid it is once you hear it out loud? Don’t feel too bad about yourself; this tops anything you’ve ever said.

According to LGBTQNation, a gay couple from Portland, Oregon, had just made their way to New Mexico for Albuquerque Pride (side note: who the fuck decided to spell Albuquerque like that?!) when the shuttle-bus driver demanded that they sit in the back of the bus for holding hands. Yes, really. He told a couple to sit in the back of the bus because of who they are. Oh Jesus fuck.

The couple, Ron McCoy and Chris Bowers, said the incident happened on June 28, but that they still haven’t received a formal apology from the shuttle bus company and they are considering legal action, reported KRQE-TV.

“I saw him look at us, look down at his hands and he looked so angry,” McCoy said. “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 and not wanting to cause problems, the couple obeyed.

I’m of the position that the queer community shouldn’t compare our discrimination with that of black people. Yes, they’re both forms of bigotry, but they also have markedly different historical roots and different reasons behind them. Discrimination of any kind is abominable, but comparing types of discrimination just doesn’t sit well with me.

That being said, FUCKING REALLY? You told a gay couple to sit in the back of the bus for being gay, and at no point did it ever occur to you that there might have been some sort of landmark civil rights moment that might mirror exactly what you just did? Holy shit, random anonymous bus driver, you are gloriously stupid.

Every new generation invariably has to deal with some new type of discrimination. The important part is that we at least learn to avoid falling into the same traps as those who came before us. If we don’t weed out our own internalized intolerance for difference and eliminate the underlying cause of discrimination, shit like this happens, and it’s embarrassing to all of us.