"Ladka Ladka thodi couple hota hai. Aap aise nahi dikhte. Aap ache Ghar se ho." - Palladium Social, Mumbai to an anonymous gay person, they also commented on his shorts. Girls are allowed to wear shorts and short skirts but he was mocked for wearing shorts. (Two men cannot be a couple. You don't look like 'that', you seem from a decent family)
"Aap Jaise logo ko apne ghar mein party karna chahiye. Ye jagah decent logo ke liye hai." (People like you should party at your homes, this place is for decent people) - Agent Jack's Bar, Pune
Cafe Mambo's, Goa to a transwoman - "The dance floor is for girls only, boys are not allowed, get down immediately."
"Stop arguing about the price, we reserve the right to admission. We consider two males as stags even if they are a couple. Stop spamming the chat now. LOL" - Prism, Hyderabad when asked about why a gay couple has to pay twice as much as a heterosexual couple.
"We don't allow gay couples, only girl-boy couples are allowed. It is our policy" - Prost BrewPub, Farzi Cafe, Over the Moon, Hyderabad
“At Westin Pune, the manager did not allow us into the club. He said we weren’t a Real Couple. I almost got into a brawl. Being such a huge organisation and internationally acclaimed, it’s a shame that they treat us like shit”
--
Why is this petition important to me? Why can't I just go to places which allow 'people like me'?
The quotes mentioned above by Zomato's restaurant partners are used against LGBTQ folks all the time. One of the editors of the currently famous web-series Made in Heaven and a National Film Award winner, Apurva Asrani had tweeted sometime back, "my partner & I still cannot get a pint of beer at most bars & pubs. Rude bouncers, armed with 3 homophobic words STAGS NOT ALLOWED, treat us like outcasts."
Such kind of repeated reminders that we are not same as others and don't deserve equal access, cause long term psycho-emotional damage to the LGBTQ community which already is known for higher risk of experiencing poor mental health. The polices that these restaurants have devised, encourage systemic exclusion of an entire set of people based on their Gender and Sexuality. This is extremely unhealthy for our society. Therefore, instead of choosing the seemingly easier option of boycotting the anti-LGBTQ restaurants, I have chosen to encourage Zomato to dissociate themselves from such restaurants so that they might realize the value of inclusiveness and open their doors to everyone and drop their discriminatory entry policies.
Why is Zomato responsible? Why haven't I taken this up with the restaurants?
It is impossible for me to single handedly pursue this with all the restaurants in India, individually. Zomato enjoys a major market dominance in this segment and has been vocal about supporting the LGBTQ community through their marketing campaigns. Therefore, I am seeking Zomato's help to end this menace. They have successfully managed to influence thousands of restaurants to offer 4 drinks at the cost of 2, to take table reservations, etc. They are known for their disruptive innovation. Therefore, I firmly believe, that if Zomato truly supports its LGBTQ guests, it will discontinue its partnership with its anti-LGBTQ partners or will positively influence them to upgrade their policies to reflect their company's mission - better food for most people, unconditionally.
--
Thanks for all your support so far, I am extremely grateful to you. Please continue to share the petition with your people and ask them to sign it. If you have any questions for me, please leave them below in the comments, I'll try my best to answer them.
Cheers,
Indrajeet