http://365gay.com/NewsContent/031603prisonKiss.htm

Gay Con Sues Over Prison Kiss
by Peter Moore
365Gay.com Newscenter
London Bureau


March 16, 2003
12:01 a.m. ET/+5GMT/-3PT

(London) A gay convict is suing the British prison system for banning him from kissing his partner during jailhouse visits.

Gareth Evans, 29, claims prison guards ordered him to stop kissing his boyfriend even though no effort was made to prevent straight prisoners from kissing their female mates during visits.

Evans is a guest of Her Majesty's Prisons in Edinburgh on an assault conviction.

Evans says he was kissing Callum Leitch, 30, when a female guard ordered him to stop. When he refused, Evans was told he could no longer receive visitors except for his lawyer.

"I can't believe I have received this sort of anti- gay treatment for a simple kiss," he told a Glasgow newspaper.

"I told her if it was okay for heterosexuals to do it, I shouldn't be treated differently as a gay man and I filled in a formal complaint.

"During our next visit four days later, I gave Callum a loving kiss, something most of the straight prisoners do, and I was immediately confronted by the officer.

"She told me that other prisoners were complaining and said kissing between two males would not be tolerated.

His jailors said they were concerned that drugs might be passed during the embrace, although similar concerns were not expressed about heterosexual couples embracing and kissing.

Tim Hopkins, a spokesman for the The Equality Network, said: "This is a very clear breach of human rights."

Evans will be released from custody later this month and says he and Leitch are planning a civil ceremony this spring to cement their relationship.

©365Gay.com Ltd® 2003

To touch, to kiss, to love... so often a foregin concept in the face of equality of human nature

Chris

Interesting story......Everyone should be created equal no matter what the orientation. If others were sure of themselves, a gay kiss wouldn't cause such a uproar.

This is sad that people have to be judgemental and discriminate against others.....I hope they sue them big time...

Deb

should'nt that be considered, what do you call it, discremnation? boy i spelled that all wrong,

This is really sad!
When I was locked up, I had a rather good friend named Lori. Though we had different visiting times, we would always share our laughter or our tears from our visits.
On more than one occassion, she would be in an uproar after visitation because of how her and her girlfriend was treated. She said the hugs/ kisses were monitered... that after the visits the guards would ridicule her while searching her, and on and on.

It just really pisses me off.... I hope they win the case!!

oh jody, that is sad

ludicrous. absolutely ridiculous...but not surprising.

are they going to not let fathers and sons kiss either? or mothers and daughters? and then...will they stop unmarried couples?

and since when does anyone care about what makes prisoners uncomfortable? those same prisoners can and probably do complain about a number of other things that makes them "uncomfortable..." how much do the guards care then?