Gay kiss-a-thon forced Six Flags to drop its homophobic anti-kissing policy

LGBTQ activists and allies got the Six Flags amusement park in Mexico City, Mexico to drop its policy against “affectionate behavior” by holding a kiss-a-thon in protest.

The protest was in support of a gay couple who were harassed by park security guards on December 29 for kissing while waiting in line for a ride.

Related: White House includes gay couple kissing in moving video about the pandemic

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Though the couple wasn’t kicked out of the park, a witness pointed out that straight couples had also been kissing in line. The gay couple suspected that the guards had targeted them because they are gay.

“[The park director] told us that in general all displays of affection were prohibited and that it was in the regulations, we reviewed the regulations with him and that paragraph does not appear,” a friend of the couple wrote via Twitter.

Lo que si dice es que “no se puede tener actos que atenten contra la moral” de acuerdo a él, un beso gay atenta y uno hetero, no. Basta de permitir que nos discriminen en lugares “seguros para la comunidad”. @SixFlagsMexico pic.twitter.com/iqrZek2mZX

— No eres tú, soy Gio. (@giov_) December 30, 2021

“They also pointed us out, took us out of line, and threatened to take us out of the park for not complying with the ‘family environment’ rule.”

A Twitter user named Matt Bernstein pointed out that even Six Flags’ ads in Mexico have featured straight couples kissing.

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“There was never a policy that states you can’t kiss at six flags. Y’all made that up to do damage control after kicking out a gay couple because they made you uncomfortable,” Bernstein wrote.

there was never a policy that states you can’t kiss at six flags. y’all made that up to do damage control after kicking out a gay couple because they made you uncomfortable https://t.co/J7n5a9oruT pic.twitter.com/zIyHmx0AGb

— matt (@mattxiv) December 31, 2021

 

The organizers of the kiss-in encouraged people to make out while applauding and celebrating love and affection.

“I think that this event creates consciousness,” said Androx Bondage, a drag performer who attended the protest.

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“We are in the 21st century, and I think it’s foolish that today there are still people who discriminate and can be homophobic towards gay people,” Bondage added. “I believe we are an open-minded generation and there shouldn’t be a place for that mentality today.”

In a statement, Six Flags said its policy “discouraging visitors from becoming too affectionate” was an attempt to “maintain a family atmosphere.”

“However, in accordance with our visitors’ comments, we have decided that a policy referring to affectionate behavior is not necessary and we have eliminated it,” the park wrote.

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The park added that it would be meeting with “a commission of the LGBT+ community” and city authorities to “work to move forward.”

“Homophobia is not a ‘misunderstanding,’” Alex Orué, director of It Gets Better Mexico, wrote on Twitter. “To overcome what happened… will require transparent and tangible actions in favor of the LGBT+ community.”

Solo que la homofobia no es un “malentendido”.

Para superar lo sucedido, y reparar no solo lo de esta semana sino todo lo que llevan arrastrando por años —por las historias que han salido a flote—, se necesitarán acciones transparentes y tangibles a favor de la comunidad LGBTQ+. https://t.co/f3cEYNRSbd

— Alex Orué (@Alex_Orue) December 31, 2021

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