Outside of La Terraza (The Terrace) Restaurant & Bar, a known nightspot located in the heart of San Jose, a group of gender equality activists staged a loud protest on Saturday night as patrons lined up to enter this well-known dancing and drinking establishment. As reported by metro reporter Laura Ruiz of daily newspaper La Prensa Libre, a kiss between a same-gender couple was the reason for this public display of dissent against this nightclub.

La Terraza is catty-cornered to Central Park, about a block west of the National Cathedral of Costa Rica. It lies right on the crossroads of two busy pedestrian boulevards and sports an ample second-floor terrace that is often enjoyed by people-watchers. It was here that protestors claim a lesbian couple was summarily ejected after they exchanged a lingering kiss.

The group organizing the protest outside of La Terraza is Beso Diverso (Diverse Kiss). This organization is dedicated to bringing awareness to the contentious issue of public displays of affection between lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) couples in Costa Rica. Leaders of Diverse Kiss claim that Costa Rican society has come a long way in advancing LGBT civil rights, but they also feel that acts of discrimination such as the one that allegedly transpired at La Terraza are far too common.

Diverse Kiss spokesperson Nancy Umaña told La Prensa Libre that the couple reminded the bouncers who escorted them out that discrimination is not allowed in San Jose; all the same, they were crudely ejected as a light drizzle fell on the capital city.

“They did not even get a refund of their admission fee; so it was very likely a discriminatory action because of the sexual orientation of this couple.”

Readers of The Costa Rica Star will probably remember a similar situation back in 2012:

The group is staging the protest in order to demand an apology from the administration of Soda Chelles. According to a radio interview on ADN Radio 90.7 FM, Paulina Torres and nine other women descended upon Chelles after midnight this past Saturday. Ms. Torres and her girlfriend engaged in public displays of affection that included kissing. The party of ten was summarily dismissed from the establishment, ostensibly due to the kissing couple’s actions.

Unbeknownst to Soda Chelles’ staff, Ms. Torres and the women in her party are part of Beso Diverso (Diverse Kiss), a GLBT righst group that aims to promote equality in public displays of affection by engaging in them. The group has taken to social media to call on their supporters to join them tomorrow in what they hope to be a massive public display of affection.