Homophobia in Buenos Aires: Pizza shop employees beat a gay couple.
On Sunday, October 21st, at 11:00 PM, Tomás and Joaco, a couple dating, were having dinner at the pizzeria Academia della Pizza in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. They say they were sitting together on the same side of the table when the manager told them, "This is a family place, so please behave yourselves." They responded, "We're family too," and left the establishment. On the sidewalk, they were attacked by two other employees. Organizations are calling for a protest outside the establishment's doors for next Saturday, October 29th.
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By Lucas Gutiérrez, from Buenos Aires
On Sunday, October 21st, at 11:00 PM, Tomás and Joaco, a newlywed couple, were having dinner at the pizzeria Academia della Pizza in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. They say they were sitting together on the same side of the table when the manager told them, "This is a family place, so please behave yourselves." They replied, "We're family too," and left the place.
On Scalabrini Ortiz Avenue, at the height of Güemes Street, a block and a half from the pizzeria, the manager, a dishwasher and the waiter who had served them attacked the young people. “They chased us and when they caught up with us they separated us, the waiter who served us and the cook hit me in the face and back, my leg hit the ground. They had us by the arm, they were much bigger than us,” explains Tomás.
The attackers said they had come to find them to pay the bill. They refused to accept card payments, so they escorted them to the ATM. “We were walking in front, and from behind them, they were yelling 'fucking assholes,' 'suck my dick if you want, but behave in my pizzeria,'” said one of the young men attacked.
Tomás Rodríguez is 22 years old, a Political Science student and public employee. He says: “What stuck with us most from the whole episode was the hatred on their faces, what they said to us, how they expressed it, how they continued threatening to hit us again.” After paying them, the attackers continued shouting “don't come back,” while Tomás and Joaco Guevara, 21, a Sociology student, headed to the 23rd police station in the Palermo neighborhood to file a complaint.
“We went to file the complaint with my other girlfriend, Joaquín Sesma. The three of us were tense because this is happening to us because of the hatred of our queer identity ,” explains Tomás, who is an activist with Conurbanxs for Diversity, while Joaco is active in Quimeras de Democracia Socialista.
[ALSO READ: #CABA He reported a neighbor for a homophobic attack and then attacked him again]
Darío Arias, an activist and leader of Conurbanxs por la Diversidad (Conurbanxs for Diversity), told this outlet: “In the last two and a half years, acts of violence against LGBTIQ people have increased throughout the country, especially in the metropolitan area, the province of Buenos Aires, and neighborhoods in the Greater Buenos Aires area. What we observe is a fear of making these situations visible and reporting them, so the support provided by the organizations is with great caution and respect for these decisions.”
Disaffected employees
Sergio Rivadillo, the venue's manager, told Presentes that the manager on duty was removed from the company and a waiter and a glass-washer are suspended. "The version he gave was that he told the couple they were bothering people, that it was a family venue, and they weren't allowed to kiss. He said the kids ran out into the street and chased him, along with a waiter and a glass-washer, and they tried to get money out of him so they could pay. It was completely crazy," he said.
[ALSO READ: Brutal homophobic attack on a member of the Ciervos Pampas rugby team]
This isn't the first time Tomás and Joaco have been subjected to violence. Two months ago, security personnel reprimanded them for kissing at a Burger King restaurant across from Plaza Italia. Although Tomás says they were contacted by Burger King headquarters, they believe the employee was simply fired, but their complaint sought other actions.
[READ ALSO: He was attacked by a gang: “I haven't been beaten for being gay since the 90s”]
[READ ALSO: Another homophobic attack in Buenos Aires: two in 48 hours]
"This is the distinctive feature of this new context we are experiencing: the sense of impunity that some actors, institutions, or entities have for carrying out these acts of violence and discrimination, precisely because these are practices and discourses endorsed by various political powers," says Darío Arias.
[READ ALSO: #HateCrimes2017 Dramatic increase in street attacks in Argentina]
They call for an act of repudiation in front of the premises
Joaco and Tomás, along with a group of organizations, are calling for an act of repudiation this Saturday, October 27, at 6:00 p.m. in front of the Academia della Pizza restaurant located at the corner of Santa Fe and Scalabrini Ortiz avenues.
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