On Wednesday August 12, 2009 my companion and I were asked to leave the Tastee Diner located in Silver Spring, MD. At the time of this request, we were engaged in an embrace as we awaited the return of our server. A white male employee approached us saying, Can you go outside with that?. Having done nothing wrong, my partner and I were confused as to what he was referring to. Therefore, we ignored his initial statement and continued our conversation. This gentleman then proceeded to engage in an audible conversation with his colleague about how inappropriate it was for us to embrace as this [Tastee Freeze] is a family establishment and people are trying to eat. To add insult to injury, our waitress followed us as we exited and apologized for her colleagues behavior stating they do that a lot and its embarrassing. This statement alone indicates that this behavior is a common practice at this establishment. As a woman of color, I was immediately reminded of the stories Id heard about the Civil Rights Era. But at this time in history, particularly in such a diverse location as Silver Spring, I could not fathom that I would be subjected to such blatant hatred. However, as a lesbian woman of color, it is apparent that I was mistaken.
Further research shows that the Tastee Diner is a pillar in the community. It has been open since 1935 and has three locations in Maryland. Tastee Diner has received awards and been featured in several local newspapers including the Washington Post. It is my belief that their bold ignorance should receive the same level of notoriety as the rest of their accomplishments. Dr. Martin Luther King said it best in his Letter form Birmingham Jail. In this writing he states:
I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer, Questioning and Intersexed population consists of over 15 million people, and our buying power is over $744 MILLION.* Aside from this fact, we belong to a larger populationTHE HUMAN POPULATION! Therefore it is our right to be treated with the same decency and respect as any other human being regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation. I will not allow the ignorance and bigotry of any person, organization or place of business to force me into shame about my truth. I am a proud lesbian African American woman!
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The Story of the Taste-less Diner