Anger at ‘heterosexuals only’ deal
A Subway franchise in Angers, France has caused outrage by advertising a Valentine’s Day deal that purposefully excluded gay people.
The owner of the franchise posted the sign which advertised a “feast of love for couples (M/F)” with a footnote that said: “Discrimination: No, the marriage for all law has advanced, but has yet to be ratified by the Senate. Until then, I’ll use my freedom of expression.”
Images of the ‘heterosexuals only’ sign went viral on Twitter and Facebook, and Subway France was forced to release an apology.
“The SUBWAY brand is strongly committed to maintaining the values of diversity and inclusiveness in its restaurants around the world and does not endorse in any discrimination of any kind,” it wrote on its official Facebook page.
“We apologise to all those people who felt offended by the individual promotional initiative for Valentine’s Day of a restaurant in Angers, France.”
Another Subway restaurant in Angers suffered an influx of “hateful and virulent” comments, French-language publication Ouest-France reported.
It was forced to close its Facebook page and also issued a statement denying any association with the other Angers Subway.
France’s proposed same-sex marriage law has proven to be extremely divisive. While opinion polls consistently show a large majority of French people support same-sex marriage, the reforms have met with fierce opposition from conservative politicians and the Catholic Church.
