In the middle of 2025, there are still everyday gestures that trigger reactions that remind us how much we still have to move forward. This is what a couple of women experienced in Licán Ray, in southern Chile, when they were expelled from the Il Golosso cafeteria simply for kissing while waiting for their order.
The event occurred last Sunday, July 27 and has generated outrage both on social networks and among organizations defending LGTBIQ+ rights. The Homosexual Integration and Liberation Movement (Movilh) was one of the first to publicly denounce what happened, calling it a clear case of discrimination based on sexual orientation.
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“That type of behavior is not allowed here”
According to the story of one of those affected, everything happened in a matter of seconds. “We gave each other a little kiss, a peck, without wanting to make anyone uncomfortable. It was something natural,” he explained. However, the owner of the establishment reacted abruptly: he approached the table directly, and in a hostile tone, informed them that “that type of behavior” was not allowed in his establishment. Then he ordered his partner not to attend to them.
Beyond the explicit rejection, the context was also tense from the first moment. The affected person reported that the atmosphere in the establishment was already uncomfortable and that they even felt violated when witnessing how the same owner treated his partner aggressively in front of other customers.
What does the law say in these cases?
In Chile, both the Zamudio Law and the Consumer Law prohibit acts of discrimination based on sexual orientation. Denying a service for this reason is not only a lack of respect, but also a direct violation of people’s fundamental rights.
From Movilh they are clear: “Expelling a lesbian couple for expressing their affection is gratuitous humiliation and is punishable by law. We encourage those affected to file a formal complaint and demand a public apology. This type of homophobic policies cannot continue to be tolerated.”
One more case… or an opportunity to act?
This incident joins a long list of similar situations that affect the LGTBIQ+ community in public and private spaces. How long will these acts continue to be normalized under the excuse of “decorum” or “premises rules”?
From social networks, the impact was immediate. Hundreds of users have expressed their repudiation of the actions of the owner of Il Golosso and have begun to promote a boycott against the establishment. Some are calling not only for legal sanctions, but also for collective reflection on what respect in shared spaces really entails.
Visibility, resistance and the right to exist
Giving a kiss, holding the hand of someone you love, showing yourself as you are… should that really be an act of bravery? For many LGTBIQ+ people, it still is. And these types of episodes are proof that visibility is still uncomfortable for some, but absolutely necessary for everyone.
It is not yet known whether the affected couple will formalize the complaint to the authorities. But beyond that, this case raises an important question: what are we doing, as a society, to ensure that respect is not an exception, but the norm?
