A New York City Cabbie Told His Gay Passenger That He Didn’t Want To Drive Him Anywhere

Screenshot via NBCNewYork

We have another instance of a driver denying service to a gay rider.

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Last month, an Indiana Lyft driver kicked out his two passengers after they shared a quick kiss while in transit.

Now, two men in New York City were denied service after being directly asked if one was gay.

New Yorker Ryan Smith spoke to WNBC to recount the night. He says that he and a friend were on their way to Brooklyn from Manhattan when their taxi driver stopped their conversation.

The driver asked Smith. “Are you gay?”

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Smith then recalls being perplexed by the question.

“We were like: ‘Uh?’” he told WNBC

“But before we could ask again, he was like, ‘Are you a gay man?'”

 “‘Yes, I am.'”

"He was like: ‘I don’t drive gays.’ So I was shocked.”

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Photo by Andrew Ruiz on Unsplash

While Smith was shocked at this point, the two asked the driver to let them off at the lower East Side and took a picture of his medallion number.

Smith shared that his “head was spinning at this point, I just wanted to get us out of the back seat of this bigot’s cab.”

While they haven’t been able to reach the taxi driver yet, a spokesperson for the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission said:

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“This driver’s behavior, as described, was totally egregious and unacceptable, and we encourage you to report it to the TLC via 311 or NYC.GOV Online so that we may hold him fully accountable for his actions.”

Again, the taxi driver hasn’t been found yet, but the TLC plans to revoke his license when they are able to find and reach him.

As for Smith, he wants justice and to move past this moment.

“This is not alright… not here in New York City, and not anywhere.”

h/t: NBCNewYork

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