Homophobic Uber Cab Driver In Gay Paris Gets Le Boot

Richard Read
Panorama of Paris, featuring the Pont des Arts (bridge of arts) and just behind, the pont Neuf (new bridge) and the île de la Cité. The institut de France (french institute) stands on the right, at the end of the pont des arts. The towers of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral can also be seen on the far behind. (Photo by Benh LIEU SONG)

Panorama of Paris, featuring the Pont des Arts (bridge of arts) and just behind, the pont Neuf (new bridge) and the île de la Cité. The institut de France (french institute) stands on the right, at the end of the pont des arts. The towers of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral can also be seen on the far behind. (Photo by Benh LIEU SONG)

Paris is a city of contrasts. On the one hand, it’s the magnificent City of Light. On the other, locals often eat mayonnaise on their fries. (Which they refuse to call “French fries”, even though you’d think it would be a source of national pride. Then again, they don’t call their frites “freedom fries” either, so perhaps it’s a draw.)

The city is also known as “Gay Paris” — a name that obviously predates our community’s alleged hijacking of the word “gay”, but which is also kind of apt, given how LGBT-friendly much of Paris can be. However, Paris is also home to “Hommen“, a group of half-naked dudes who roam the streets espousing anti-gay views while being about twice as homoerotic as that film you watched last night from Titan Media.

So, while it’s a little unusual that one Parisian gay couple experienced a heaping helping of hate on their way home from a night on the town, it’s not entirely surprising.

Here’s how it all went down: Julien and Lucas were leaving a gay nightclub early Sunday morning and called for a cab from Uber, one of several startups that’s upending the world’s taxi industry. According to the Huffington Post, the Uber driver arrived, confirmed their identities, then asked which club they’d come from. When they told him, he responded, “Nope, I don’t take gays”, then sped away.

Julien and Lucas were (a) shocked and (b) still in need of a ride home. So, they called for another cab from Uber, and by chance, they got the same driver. This time, they snapped a photo of his license plate, which did not sit well with the homophobe in question. In fact, he threatened to smash their phones.

Rather sensibly, Julien and Lucas walked back to the nightclub. The cabbie suddenly changed his tune, saying, “Hey, come on gays, get in. I’ll take you home.” The couple demurred, opting instead to tweet directly at Uber, “‘No, I don’t take gays’ @Uber_Paris thanks to your driver…who refused to take us because we weren’t to his liking”.

Thankfully, the folks at Uber were more LGBT-friendly and responded by suspending, then firing the unnamed driver.

There are at least six morals to this story:

1. Homophobes are everywhere.

2. If you’re looking for a job and you loathe gays, mark “taxi driver” off your list. Other careers to avoid: cutting hair, managing a wedding venue, waiting tables, or anything else that requires talking to people. (Notable exception: politician.)

3. We’re at a key moment in the push for LGBT equality, and there are likely to be more outbursts like this from haters who feel cornered and defensive. That’s not to excuse them or their beliefs, only to say, don’t be surprised when this shit happens again.

4. Twitter doesn’t solve every problem, but it comes in handy.

5. In cases like this, it’s hard to pick a winner. Julien and Lucas earned public sympathy, but they also had to endure a rude and frightening ordeal. And the cab driver, of course, is out of a job.

6. Despite the threat of homophobic cabbies, you’re still better off calling Uber than renting a car in Paris. You’ll just have to trust us on that.

[via Towleroad]