December 7, 2005
Twin Cities Cab Drivers Discriminate Against GLBTs
WCCO is reporting that 3 gay men were kicked out of a cab on Friday night because two of them kissed. The driver apparently said that homosexuality violated his religious beliefs. This discrimination is against the law in Minnesota thanks to the Minnesota Human Rights Act.
This case appears to be one associated with Islam, but discrimination aganist GLBT people by taxi cab drivers is not limited to just one faith. Earlier this fall, my friends and I took a cab and the driver actually advocated violence against gay men, and even tried to get us to agree with him. He was from Florida and said that this type of gay stuff didn't happen there. He also said he was a Christian.
And I've also heard from friends who were denied a cab ride during Twin Cities Pride from Muslim cab drivers.
It's the responisbility of the cab companies to teach their employees about the law. Cab drivers cannot discriminate. Period.
If Minnesota continues down the road of allowing other peoples religious beliefs to be written into our Constitution, you better believe things like this will happen more often. It tells the landlords, cab drivers, and employers in Minnesota that GLBT people are less than straight people, and it's our own government that will be sending the message.
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Comments
there are cabs in minneapolis????
Posted by: jason | December 8, 2005 4:37 PM
Apparently. I tried to catch one last week on a Saturday night, and about froze my ass off. And they keep increasing the fare.
Posted by: Andy | December 8, 2005 10:15 PM
This is not a unique occurrence. The same thing happened to me in a Yellow cab July 2004. The Blue & White spokesman knows this as my case made for a lengthy article in Lavender, and was reprinted in a newsletter all cabbies receive (yes, cab drivers get a newsletter). Sad that diversity training still does not exist, and this shit is still happening.
The safest way to catch a cab is to call for one. Or the nice bartenders at the 19 will call a Rainbow cab for you. That way there is a record of the pickup, unlike catching one on the street, where you never existed. Plus a shit-for-brains homophobe driver will know you are coming from a gay bar and can "sell" his assigned pickup to a friendlier one, who will be happy to take you since you tip well.
If anything strange happens on your ride, GET THE CAB NUMBER. Even if Blue&White does somehow figure out what cab it was, they will pretend that they didn't, as the driver could lose his license. Which will happen when you file a formal complaint, as I now wish my boyfriend and I had.
Posted by: kurt | December 9, 2005 3:16 PM
would NOT lose his license
Posted by: Rainbow Flag paula hare | December 16, 2006 7:25 PM