New Bern, CA – A lesbian couple claims the owner of The Stingray Cafe gave them a handwritten note, condemning homosexuality. Ariel and Shawnee McPhail were patrons at the cafe on December 4, 2012. The owner, Ed McGovern, approached them as they were getting ready to pay and leave, and handed them a folded piece of notebook paper.
According to WCTI12 the note read as follows, unaltered:
“God said in the last days that man and women, would be lover of self, more then lover of God. That man and women would have unnatural effection for one another. Then the coming of the Son of Man who is Jesus. So please look at your life see how it hurt everyone around your. And ask the Lord to open your eye before it to late. The Love of Christ … P.S. my daughter also was gay . It destroy her life and my grandson.”
Ariel and Shawnee were appalled at the gesture. Although they recognize the rights of other opinions, the couple feels McGovern crossed the line.
Shawnee commented on the situation:
“First of all, we didn’t kiss. We don’t kiss in public. We were holding hands. Secondly, if I did kiss my wife in public, what married couple would you go to and say, ‘how dare you. You cannot hold hands and you cannot kiss in public therefore you deserve my judgment.’”
Ariel added:
“If we’re experiencing it, then other people are too and that’s not fair.”
McGovern confirms he wrote the couple the letter “out of love” and had done the same thing before to another couple .
Do you feel the cafe owner had the right to share his opinion the way he did?