Teen lesbian couple forced to leave McDonald’s for kissing
A teenage lesbian couple have said they were forced to leave McDonald’s after kissing on the cheek.
Kristeen Ferenczi, 16, felt she had to leave the restaurant branch after sharing a lunch with her 17-year-old girlfriend and her cousin.
She had been into the branch in Bolton, Greater Manchester, at around 12:30 February 9 for lunch.
Part way through the meal she kissed her girlfriend on the cheek.
Ms Ferenczi says a cleaner had been hovering by the table during their meal.
The cleaner then allegedly came over to the table and told the teens their behaviour “wasn’t appropriate”.
The couple say they “felt awful” after the comment and felt forced to leave.
Kristeen, who lives in Farnworth, told the Manchester Evening News: ‘We were sitting down with my girlfriend and my girlfriend’s cousin having a meal.
“When he got up to go I noticed this woman just lingering around us, and as I kissed my girlfriend on the cheek she came over and told us it wasn’t appropriate, and implied for us to leave.
“I turned round and said “are you homophobic?” but she wouldn’t answer.
Kristeen says that she was so shocked by the incident that she and her girlfriend burst into tears as they left the branch.
They had previously been McDonald’s regulars, and had never experienced an incident before.
“You see a lot worse in McDonald’s, there was nothing inappropriate about us kissing on the cheek”, she said.
“When I rang the management to complain they said if it happens again they will talk to her, but it’s not good enough.
“We are not going to come back.
“We have had people say things to us in the past but we have never had someone approach us and kick us out before.
“It made us feel awful. We were walking out and we didn’t know what to do, so we just started crying.
“That’s all we felt we could do.”
McDonald’s issued a statement after the incident saying they condemn all types of prejudice.
A spokesperson said: “We are extremely sorry for Ms Ferenczi and her partners’ experience and have taken this complaint very seriously.
“An internal investigation is currently underway and we would like to make it clear that discrimination of this nature is wholly unacceptable and not, in any way, tolerated by McDonald’s.”
