Another example of the well-known propensity of Texans for tolerance and openness. Two gay men at an El Paso restaurant, called Chico’s Tacos, kissed while ordering. The restaurant security guards through out the two plus three of their friends, saying that the restaurant wanted “none of that faggot stuff.” El Paso police officers arrived and (wrongly) informed the ejected patrons that gay kissing in public is a crime in Texas, under a law that was determined to be unconstitutional several years ago by the US Supreme Court.
Police declined to identify the officers who responded, but department spokesman Javier Sambrano described one officer as relatively inexperienced.
De Leon said the officer told the group it was illegal for two men or two women to kiss in public. The five men, he said, were told they could be cited for homosexual conduct — a law the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in 2003 in Lawrence v. Texas.
That same year, the El Paso City Council approved an ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual orientation by businesses open to the public.
An assistant manager at Chico’s Tacos declined to comment Wednesday, except to say the owners of the restaurant were out of town and could not be reached. An official with All American International Security, the firm contracted by Chico’s Tacos to supply guards, said one member of the security crew was contacting a lawyer. He would say no more.
More from Jonathan Turley and Dissenting Justice.
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