On Sept. 29, Mary Kate Morris and Nicole Marchetto went to see the Baltimore Ravens play the Cleveland Browns at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. The two went to enjoy the sporting event like all other fans in the crowd, until a security guard and three police officers ejected them from the football stadium.
 Mary Kate Morris and Nicole Marchetto |
While the allegations of their crime initially included stolen property, the ejection of Morris and Marchetto was purely an act of anti-gay bigotry on behalf of stadium security and the Baltimore Police Department.
At halftime, the lesbian couple left their seats to use the restroom, but when they discovered a long line, decided to purchase food and beverages from the concession stand instead. While waiting for their orders, the two grabbed an empty cup from the concession stand, filled it with ketchup and proceeded to kiss in what Marchetto described as, “heartfelt and decent in the real sense and was not any different from what numerous law-abiding straight couples were doing all around us.” (washingtonblade.com, Oct. 8)
Shortly after, a stadium security guard and a supervisor approached the two and told them to “stop making a scene” at least several times until the guard asked to see their drivers’ licenses. When Morris and Marchetto asked what they had done wrong, the bigoted guard accused them first of stealing the cup, then accused them of stealing the beer—two fraudulent accusations clumsily meant to mask the real homophobic basis for discriminatory treatment.
When police officers arrived, they verified all the purchased items on the receipt as legitimate, yet conspired with security in ejecting the couple from the stadium.
Kevin Byrne, Ravens senior vice president of public and community relations, expressed his satisfaction “with the action taken by the concessionaire, security and police.”
This act of discrimination in professional sports comes after recent exclusion of gays on the “Kiss Cam” during an “Out at the ballpark” event in St. Louis. The bigoted treatment of Morris and Marchetto is exemplary of the regular oppression faced by the LGBT community in a society dominated by the capitalist state that treats them as second-class citizens. Same-sex couples should have the right to kiss wherever they please! Full rights for same-sex couples now!
