Five male friends were ejected from a Chico’s Tacos in El Paso in late June, when security guards observed two of the men kiss, saying “they didn’t allow that faggot stuff to go on there.” When police arrived to investigate the incident, they refused to hear the complaint first, citing that it was illegal for two men or two women to kiss in public… in Texas.

At about 12:30 a.m. on the morning of June 29, the five men were placing their order at the Chico’s Tacos on Montwood when the two men made their public display of affection, sparking the ire of two contracted security guards at the restaurant, police and witnesses said. After the group sat down, the security guards told them “they didn’t allow that faggot stuff to go on there,” and made them leave, de Leon said. An officer arrived at the restaurant about an hour later, after police received five calls, including from the security guards and de Leon. The men were told to leave the restaurant and had anti-gay slurs directed at them while they waited for the police.

“I went up to the police officer to tell him what was going on and he didn’t want to hear my side,” de Leon said. “He wanted to hear the security guard’s side first.” The officer informed the group it was illegal for two men or two women to kiss in public, de Leon said. The five were told they could be cited for homosexual conduct – a charge the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in 2003 in Lawrence v. Texas. That same year, the city of El Paso passed an ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual orientation by employees of the city and by businesses open to the public. El Paso Police Detective Carlos Carrillo said a more appropriate charge would probably be criminal trespass. “The security guard received a complaint from some of the customers there,” Carrillo said. “Every business has the right to refuse service. They have the right to refuse service to whoever they don’t want there. That’s their prerogative.”

More from ABC7 in El Paso:

Pastor Bill Devlin, president of Redeem the Vote, a non-profit that engages youth through faith, presented the same tired and alarmist arguments against a new gay marriage bill in a “trainwreck” of an appearance on Good Morning Philadelphia yesterday. State Sen. Daylin Leach who introduced the lesislation, was on hand to defend the bill with sound, unlike Pastor Devlin. Watch:

Pennsylvania Rep. Patrick Murphy appeared on Rachel Maddow to discuss his new role as lead sponsor of H.R. 1283, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Watch:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Lsrn1Xp6qU[/youtube]

A private swim club in northeast Philadelphia refused to allow 60 children to swim in their pool, simply because they weren’t white. Apparently the club does not allow minorities in the water, and there was fear they would “change the complexion and the atmosphere of the club.” I’m not kidding.  Watch:

I continue to read online how surprised people are that this happened. I’m not surprised in the slightest. Racism and the hate that drives it is alive and well. Usually people aren’t stupid enough to come out with it publicly. Most of the time it remains behind closed doors, in living rooms or at kitchen tables. The internet is also a fertile breeding ground for those who purvey hate, racism, and homophobia, safely cloaked in the anonymity of the medium. Just check out some of the comments at NBC10 in Philadephia.

Just a thought… I wonder if the Valley Swim Club would have refused to allow Sasha and Malia Obama access to the pool…

Breaking: Fortunately the children may have found a new place to swim… and the incident has caught the attention of Senator Arlen Specter.