A lesbian couple was kicked out of their Uber ride by a homophobic driver after they kissed each other in the back seat.
The incident happened on Saturday evening in Manhattan when Alex Iovine was riding with the car service along with her 24-year-old girlfriend Emma Pichl.
The couple was told by the Uber driver to get out of his car after he suddenly pulled over. They first thought that the driver was joking but once they realized he was not, they started filming the incident.
Iovine told the New York Daily News that she booked the ride at around 5 pm to take the couple from Brooklyn to East Village.
‘We were sitting on opposite sides of the car,’ Iovine, an advertising technology consultant, said. ‘We leaned in for a peck, and that’s what it was, a legit peck.’
After the short kiss, the man pulled over the vehicle and told them to get out. ‘My girlfriend started laughing. She thought he was joking,’ Iovine said.
‘He yelled at us for being disrespectful and inappropriate because we pecked on the lips.’
The woman says that they are aware of Uber’s policy against riders having sex in the cars, but their quick kiss was not objectionable.
The recorded video shows the driver opening the car door as they ask him why they are being kicked out. ‘It’s illegal,’ he said. ‘You can’t do this in the car. You aren’t allowed to do this.’
Video Credit: Alex Iovine
Iovine says: ‘Why are we not allowed to kiss in an Uber?’
‘It’s disrespectful,’ the driver says as he tries to reach for their phone to stop the filming. The couple then angrily threatens him to call the police, saying: ‘It’s not illegal to kiss in New York.’
Both conflicting parties have submitted their complaints to Uber.
The company released a statement saying: ‘Uber does not tolerate any form of discrimination, and we have reached out to the rider regarding her experience. We are investigating and will take appropriate action.’
Iovine said she was still waiting for a response from the company. The 26-year-old added: ‘Getting this out there, getting a refund and getting an apology is all I want right now.’
‘It was a really terrible experience – and ironically occurred on a bright sunny day during pride month in NYC.’
The woman has also lodged a complaint against the man with the city’s Human Right’s Commission.
She said: ‘Obviously, he’s homophobic. I was very surprised. I haven’t experienced homophobic behavior in the city. We live in this bubble and think this can’t happen here in New York City. This goes to show that it can happen anywhere.’