UPDATED APRIL 24, 2014
Mexican police arrested and fined a gay couple Sunday for kissing, according to Gay Star News.
Authorities say the two men, Jorge, 24, and Alan, 26, were “disturbing the peace” when they kissed on a street corner in La Paz, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur, around 10 p.m. on April 20.
According to the couple, a police officer approached them, hurled an anti-gay slur towards them and told them to go with him to the police station. The men refused, however, and the officer allegedly “violently” forced them into a van an took them to the station for a few hours.
They were released after paying 300 pesos ($23 USD) each.
“While we know of other cases, this is the first time something like this has happened to us,” Jorge said told local media, according to GSN. “Yes, people have shouted ugly things before, but we have never bothered the authorities. We were terrified. The officers who arrested us were homophobic, corrupt liars. We never bothered the public order.”
GSN notes La Paz has not responded to the couple’s allegations.
In a reaction to the men’s alleged treatment, a Mexican LGBT group will hold a kiss-in on International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, which is on May 17.
The alleged treatment towards the same-sex couple may come as a surprise to some as Mexico’s lawmakers that have passed laws to protect LGBT people from discrimination. Additionally, gay marriage is recognized in a number of the country’s states, including capital Mexico City.
