Woman 'harassed' for kissing girlfriend at Weston Playhouse

Ms Alexander, pictured here on a previous theatre trip, said she and girlfriend Tia were harassed

A woman who claims she and her girlfriend were harassed for kissing at a theatre says she was "horrified" by the response from staff.

Tori Alexander was at the Playhouse in Weston-super-Mare with girlfriend Tia Willey when they say they were told to stop kissing by someone behind them.

When they complained to staff, the women claim they were told they could move to seats in the back.

A Playhouse spokesperson said staff were trying to "defuse" the situation.

They added: "Parkwood Theatres are committed in eliminating inequality and discrimination as well as promoting a diverse and inclusive working environment for all."

Ms Alexander said she bought the tickets for Ms Willey's birthday.

She had made sure to buy them in advance, to get the seats she wanted.

When they arrived at the theatre, Ms Willey gave Ms Alexander a "peck on the lips" to thank her for the present.

They say a couple behind them complained and told them this was "unacceptable behaviour".

Ms Alexander replied that it was just a kiss and that the couple were allowed to kiss too, to which they replied it was "different when it was a man and woman".

At this point, Ms Alexander said she got "really upset" and went to complain to staff, who referred her to the manager.

When the manager came over to find out what had happened, she said the couple who had complained did not deny it, adding: "we just don't want it shoved in our faces".

'Failed the LGBTQ community'

The manager offered them to sit further in the back, telling them those were the seats they use "for when there is a problem", the couple say.

"The choice we were given was to sit in worse seats further back or stay in our seats with the people behind us who had harassed us," Ms Alexander said.

She said the whole event "ruined the night".

"They [the theatre] have failed the LGBTQ community," she added.

Nigel Brice, founder of Weston Pride, said: "I was absolutely horrified to hear something of this nature was happening at the Playhouse, because I know the Playhouse has historically been LGBTQ-friendly.

"All we want is an equal stance within an audience, nobody is saying that we are special or different."

'Best of their ability'

Tony Doherty, managing director at Parkwood Theatres, said: "There was an incident at The Playhouse in which Tori has alleged that she was harassed by other audience members.

"Playhouse staff did not witness or hear the incident, which they were alerted to after it had already taken place.

"Staff had to resolve the issue in an acutely short time period as the curtain was about to go up on that evenings performance with a full house in attendance.

"In those circumstances they attempted to the best of their ability to initially defuse the situation by offering alternative seating to all involved."

A North Somerset Council spokesperson added: "We have a duty to eliminate unlawful discrimination, and therefore take any complaints of discrimination seriously.

"While we have been made aware of an alleged incident at the Playhouse in Weston-super-Mare, we can confirm that we have not directly received a complaint about the matter.

"The Playhouse in Weston-super-Mare is managed on the council's behalf by Parkwood Theatres.

"We're fully committed to making sure that everyone has an equal chance to live, work, learn and feel part of the community."