Drag queen collective Regias del Drag organised a kiss-in protest at a mall where a security guard kicked out a same-sex couple after customers made complaints over their public signs of affection. 

At the Galerías Monterrey mall in Monterrey, Mexico, the LGBT+ community gathered for the kiss-in protest, titled ‘Besotón vs Homofobia 2020’. They marched around the mall and hung rainbow flags along the balcony. In the plaza, a crowd of 100 protestors formed to kiss and applaud.

The kiss-in protest at the mall was in response to a Facebook video showing a gay couple being told to leave the premises by a security guard. Jorge Anguiano posted the footage of himself and his boyfriend being removed after the guard said they were making other customers feel uncomfortable. There are over 43,000 views of the recording. 

On the event in question, which happened last Wednesday, Anguiano and his boyfriend were waiting outside the cinema when the security guard approached them. The couple complied with his order and left the mall. 

On the Facebook event page for ‘Besotón vs Homofobia 2020’, it states, “There are still cases in which the guards continue to harass and intimidate gay couples for showing affection, and ask ‘with all due respect’ to stop showing affection because their customers are ‘bothered’. The time has come to organize a kiss against homophobia. Every act that wants to repress us is an opportunity to make us visible and show that we are not alone.”

The event page made clear that this was a peaceful demonstration advocating for the support and celebration of diversity. One person posted a video on Twitter of the crowds gathered, along with the caption, “Educating is the option. Nondiscrimination!”

Kiss-in protests are regarded as a powerful declaration of presence and support, showing the queer community living openly as themselves.