A lesbian couple and a friend claim that a Portland, Oregon cab
driver kicked them out of his cab and left them on the side of a busy
freeway at midnight because they were being affectionate.
“You can't be gay in my cab,” the driver told them.
“I was initially shocked,” Kate
Neal told KOIN. “This is Portland.”
Neal
told NWCN that she, her partner, Shankako Devoll, and a friend
were also kicked out of a second cab operated by the same company
after the second cab driver spoke with the first.
Raye Miles, president of Broadway Cab, called the incident
unacceptable and announced in a Facebook post that at least one cab
driver had been suspended.
“Discrimination should not, cannot and will not be tolerated,”
he
wrote. “I would like to take this opportunity to say that
Broadway Cab is fully committed to the concept and practice of
non-discrimination, equal opportunity, and diversity. This includes
any form of discrimination based upon an individual's sexual
orientation.”
The women flagged down a police officer, who escorted them home.