Fayetteville bar under fire for telling gay couple to leave
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- A Fayetteville bar is taking heat after telling a gay couple to leave.
The couple and the bar owner have different stories about what happened and why.
Andrew Deras and Dustin Baker have been together for the past few months. They told ABC11 they were at Louie's Sports Pub on Robeson Street last Friday when their public kiss got them tossed out.
"I have never been treated this way before," said Deras.
"It's embarrassing that we got kicked out in front of a crowd of people. It's just sad," said Baker.
The bar owner says she's getting hate mail and messages from across the country, but she says she didn't do anything wrong.
Pam Griffin said several customers complained about the two men showing physical affection for each other and when she asked the two to refrain they got belligerent.
"It was only one reason why they were asked to go, when they disrespected and flipped me off, cussing and interlocked in a very deep kiss, then yes, I am going to ask you to go cause I have numerous customers complaining," she said.
But Baker and Deras said they don't think they did anything wrong.
"There was nothing very disturbing about what was going on. You have to really be paying attention," said Deras.
"We were interacting with other people in the bar. We were dancing, singing together. We were not touching each other the entire time. I literally had my arm around him for a few seconds," said Baker.
Griffin said there was a similar incident recently with a heterosexual couple with a different outcome.
"Just two weeks prior, I had the same problem with a couple. I asked them to separate and they giggled. They still come in the bar every day," she said.
