A lesbian couple has claimed to have been chucked out of an Uber by a driver after they shared a simple kiss in the back seat.
Alex Lovine, 26, and girlfriend Emma Pichl, 24, were riding with the service on Saturday night in Manhattan when the driver allegedly pulled over and told them to quite literally take a hike.
The young couple initially thought the man was having a laugh but once things turned a little more serious, they got out their phones to capture the damning moment, MailOnline reports.
Posted by Emma Pichl on Thursday, 27 July 2017
Lovine told the New York Daily News:
We were sitting on opposite sides of the car. We leaned in for a peck, and that’s what it was, a legit peck.
My girlfriend started laughing. She thought he was joking.
He yelled at us for being disrespectful and inappropriate because we pecked on the lips.
Lovine said she and girlfriend Emma ordered an Uber to drive them from a friend’s birthday party in Brooklyn to another party in the city’s East Village around 5pm.
The driver can been opening the door to the backseat, saying:
It’s illegal. You can’t do this in the car. You aren’t allowed to do this.
In a statement, Uber said:
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.
Lovine says she it yet to receive a response from the company, saying:
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.
She added:
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.
As per Uber’s Law Enforcement Guide:
We have a process for evaluating requests on an emergency or exigent basis where there is an emergency or exigency that involves protecting a rider, driver-partner, or third party who has been physically harmed or stopping illegal activity that poses an immediate threat of physical harm, or in cases of verifiable time-sensitive investigations.
We require a description of the nature of the emergency or urgency, including details about the nature of the alleged actual or threatened physical harm or exigency, and we review these requests on a case-by-case basis. We may provide responsive information when we have a good faith belief that doing so may protect riders, driver-partners, others, Uber, or otherwise assist with an exigent investigation.
They add:
Once the emergency or exigency has passed, we require law enforcement to follow up with the appropriate legal process and we may require law enforcement to obtain appropriate legal process for any initial or additional disclosure. To facilitate our review, law enforcement should provide as much detail about the incident or emergency as possible.
Lovine has filed a complaint with New York City’s Human Rights Commission.
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