Men file complaint over ejection from cab for kiss

[October 29, 2013]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Two men filed a complaint with the state of Illinois against a Chicago taxicab company Monday, alleging one of the company's drivers ejected them from a cab after they kissed.

Steven White of West Hollywood, Calif., and Matthew McCrea of Chicago say they kissed during a ride in May from O'Hare International Airport to McCrea's home. They claim the driver for Sun Taxi turned the interior lights on and off, telling his passengers, "This is public transportation." The driver initially pulled over on an expressway but then drove to a grocery store parking lot and ordered them out, they said.

"My initial reaction was that I was afraid of this man, and I didn't know what he was thinking," said White, 29. "Matt's initial reaction was that we are not getting out of this cab on the expressway."

White called a complaint line and was eventually connected to police, who sent officers to the grocery store parking lot. The cab driver told police White and McCrea had been "making sex," which the two deny. No one was arrested, and the two men eventually got out of the cab and waited for another one to come pick them up.

The driver told the Chicago Sun-Times that he was annoyed because the two men wouldn't stop kissing and that he found their behavior distracting.

The couple say they exchanged only a brief kiss.

The gay rights organization Lambda Legal filed a complaint Monday with the Illinois Department of Human Rights seeking damages on their behalf.

Sun Taxi general manager Jong Lee says he can't comment on the complaint until he sees it.

McCrea says since the incident he might be a little more cautious about how he acts. However, White says he refuses to change his behavior.

"We're a couple just like any other couple," he said.

[Associated Press]

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