Couple denounces homophobia and waiter is removed from restaurant in Rio

After a couple reported being victims of homophobia by a waiter, the Adega Villas Boas restaurant, in Tijuca, a neighborhood in the north of Rio de Janeiro, spoke out on social media. The establishment apologized for what happened and informed that it removed the employee from work.

A homosexual couple claims they were reprimanded after exchanging a kiss in the establishment, in the early hours of Sunday (26). According to a report by architect Franklin Pacheco Barboza Quaresma, he and makeup artist Almir Maia Júnior arrived at the restaurant for a meeting and sat down at a table near the entrance, in an outdoor area.

“The bar was full of couples, all ‘straight’, all having dinner peacefully, exchanging affection, and none of them were bothered, none of them were framed in a certain way and reprimanded, like we were”, recalled the architect.

According to the report, the waiter went to serve the couple normally. However, about ten minutes later, as soon as the two hugged and exchanged a kiss, the employee returned to the table.

“At that moment, the waiter approached again, saying that this type of posture was not allowed in that place. And we, even without understanding, and without wanting to understand, without believing in what was being said, we asked him to repeat it and he reaffirmed that this was not the place for that type of posture and that we were supposed to remove ourselves from the table we were at and move to the tables at the back of the bar, away from other customers and regulars”, said the architect, who called the police.

Restaurant pronouncement

The management of the Adega Villas Boas restaurant issued a statement.

“We want to make it clear that discriminatory behavior does not reflect the values ​​of our establishment. We vehemently repudiate any form of prejudice and are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all our customers’, says the note published on Sunday night (26).

The text also states that the restaurant is reviewing internal procedures to ensure that “incidents like this do not occur again”.

The couple reported to CNN that the house manager only appeared when the military police were called. And he didn’t even apologize for what happened. “None of them came to apologize, none of them came to try to make amends for the crime committed. So there is a feeling of deep indignation”, recalled Franklin, who said that the employees tried to convince the couple not to go to the police station.

The couple claims that the restaurant’s customers watched everything and did nothing.

The case was registered at the 18th DP (Praça da Bandeira), which interviewed the victims, as well as the restaurant manager and the waiter, who were released. The civil police stated that they are taking steps to clarify the facts.