Gay teen couple says they were kicked out of Chicago restaurant for hugging
Boys were allegedly told "your kind are not welcome here" before being told to leave
A gay teen couple in Chicago say they were kicked out of a popular restaurant for hugging.
Kendall Anderson and Peder Sevig, both students at the city’s Lane Tech High School, told CBS 2 that they visited Big Boy Gyros in North Side on Monday, May 13, with a group of friends.
Anderson reportedly gave Sevig a hug while inside the restaurant, which prompted an employee to complain.
“‘We can’t have two guys hugging in here’,” Anderson claimed the employee said. “And then he said something to the effect of ‘if it was a guy and a girl it would be okay, but we can’t allow two boys.'”
The group of friends then tried to leave the restaurant, which prompted another outburst, according to Anderson.
“Right before we left he said, ‘Get out. We don’t want your kind here, anyway,’ and that was that,” Anderson said.
CBS 2 reporter Dana Kozlov tried to speak to the man the boys identified as the employee, but he told her that he was just a customer.
Restaurant employees then refused to comment, either on camera or off.
After hearing about the incident, Lane Tech officials have apparently decided to step in and investigate further.
“As a school, we are disheartened because our students were treated with disrespect and made to feel unwelcome,” the school’s administration said in an email to parents. “As a community, we stand strong and we want to make it clear that Lane Tech does not stand for discrimination of any kind.
“We will not tolerate hatred and will not support an organization that promotes hatred of any kind,” the email continued. “We support any students, staff and community members that choose not to support Big Boy Gyros. The incident will be addressed in person by Lane Tech’s administration.”
Watch CBS 2’s report below:
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