"RuPaul's Drag Race" Queen Kicked Out Of Lyft For Gay Kiss
Rideshares like Uber and Lyft have become a part of everyday life the last few years, but even in progressive metropolises like New York City, some drivers are not comfortable with all of the people they pick up—that sometimes includes members of the LGBT community.
In the early morning of December 12, RuPaul's Drag Race Season 9 and All Stars Season 3 contestant Aja and her boyfriend, who goes by the name Lizard Lemon, were asked to get out of their Lyft after the two kissed.
"Me and Aja were told to get out a Lyft for being gay. Not kidding," tweeted Lizard Lemon. "The driver asked us to leave after kissing. In New York City. Really really disappointing."
Aja, herself, did not tweet about the incident but retweeted Lizard's tweet.
Two minutes after Lizard sent the tweet, Lyft responded on Twitter telling them to report it to Lyft's Critical Response Line. Other followers also reached out, offering their condolences and outrage over the ignorant driver.
According to Gay Star News the driver has been fired since the incident.
"We have zero tolerance for any type of discrimination on our platform, and are committed to maintaining an inclusive and welcoming community," said a Lyft spokesperson. "As soon as this incident was brought to our attention, we reached out to the passengers to offer our support."
"The driver has been deactivated from the Lyft platform."
This isn't the first reported incident of a rider being kicked out of a Lyft for being gay. Last year a rider, Matt Adler, was subjected to an anti-gay tirade after his Lyft driver noticed a rainbow stitched onto his yarmulke:
“He told me I should not be riding in a car on Saturday because it makes me a bad Jew," the driver told him. "Good Jews don’t have sex on Shabbat, the Bible forbids gay sex.”
That driver was also banned from Lyft.