Men Screaming Anti-Gay Expletives Cause a Row at WeHo’s Gay Starbucks

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Three young heterosexual men began using the slur “faggot” today in an incident inside the Starbucks coffee shop at 8598 Santa Monica Blvd., a major gathering spot for gay men in West Hollywood, that spilled over into a confrontation outside and drew the attention of Sheriff’s deputies. The three heterosexual men appeared to be African-American or Latino and ranged in age from about 18 to 23 according to witnesses to the altercation interviewed by WEHOville.

One of the men accused of yelling anti-gay remarks at Starbucks.
One of the men accused of yelling anti-gay remarks at Starbucks.

The incident is the latest in an apparent series of violent and near-violent encounters in and near the city’s Boystown gay neighborhood that have prompted local residents to demand more action from the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station and express concern about their safety. Previous incidents have occurred on Santa Monica Boulevard near San Vicente in the heart of the gay nightlife district. The assault of Kirk Doffing on Memorial Day weekend near Rage, the gay bar, which left him in a medically induced coma for weeks, sparked a major outcry for improvements in policing the area. In response, the Sheriff’s Station received additional funding from the city to add a four-person foot patrol in the area six nights a week, replacing a previous two-person patrol. There have also been nighttime robberies on Santa Monica Boulevard and on Palm Avenue, where an employee of a gay bar was stabbed and his companion was beaten in December. While the gay nightlife area is concentrated on Santa Monica Boulevard between San Vicente and Robertson, the Starbucks coffee shop on Santa Monica near Westmount, several blocks east, is the prime daytime social spot for gay men in West Hollywood, many of whom work from there. It is known by its gay customers as “Gaybucks” or “BGS” (Big Gay Starbucks.)

Joseph Daniels, a photographer who was present at Starbucks this morning, said the incident began a little after 11 a.m. when the men were in line waiting to order coffee and began using profane language like “faggots.” Daniels said another customer told them their behavior was rude, and the manager of Starbucks appeared and asked one of the men to leave. As he left, Daniels said, “he was screaming and pointing ‘you will die f–ing faggots’. It was very scary and unexpected.”

Another man accused of anti-gay expletives at Starbucks.
Another man accused of anti-gay expletives at Starbucks. (Facebook)

Daniels said Leslie Jordan, the gay actor and screenwriter, yelled at the men to leave, saying “get out of my house.” Jordan, who at 4’11” is known for his diminutive stature as well as his Southern accent, is a regular at that Starbucks. Daniels said Jordan followed the men outside objecting to their language, and he and another customer walked outside to protect Jordan. “The guy lunged at Leslie to hit him,” Daniels said of one of the men. “Then Leslie threw his drink at the guy. Then (another) guy threw his drink to hit me.”

Daniels said Sheriff’s deputies showed up quickly and spent about 45 minutes interviewing those present at the altercation. He said deputies urged the gay men not to file charges against the others, saying that if they did the men screaming “faggots” could accuse Jordan of assault for throwing his coffee at one of them and the deputies would have to arrest Jordan. Daniels said the three men then walked away, headed east on Santa Monica and making obscene gestures to the gay men and continuing to call them “faggots.”

Deputy Peter Sullivan at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station said a report filed by deputies on the scene said “the deputies talked to all the persons. None of them were desirous of  filing charges against another person.”

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Daniels disputed that, saying that the gay men who were present didn’t file charges because they were warned that they might also face charges and be arrested. “He provoked it,” Daniels said of one of the three men. “He spewed hate crime words against everybody and threw a drink at Leslie. Why couldn’t he have been charged with disorderly conduct?” Others posting comments on Daniels’ Facebook page also questioned why charges weren’t filed.

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RV
RV
9 years ago

These guys were obviously looking for trouble and I’m sure they might probably be connected to some of the other recent hate crimes in the area. The gay men involved should’ve pressed charges no matter what. I’m sure once these gay-haters were processed, the cops would’ve found out other facts about them that might have pointed to other crimes. However, I applaud Mr. Jordan’s courage in confronting these jerks.

Guy Privaton (@guyprivaton)

Are these men connected to the recent violent attacks????

Jimmy Palmieri
9 years ago

@KYLE MURPHY……You do realize that people can see what you are writing ….yes?

Woody McBreairty
9 years ago

KYLE MURPHY: It seems like you have had the freedom to “experiment” & make the decisions in your life that were right for you, as you deserve to do. Possibly your anger is the result of your own sexual frustration & your father’s promiscuity as a gay man, although sexual promiscuity, wrong or right, is very common among the entire population, even early teens, & certainly not exclusive to the gay population. The human sex drive is innately very strong, especially among males. Blame Mother Nature. You are entitled to your anti same sex marriage sentiments, but no one was… Read more »

Mr. T.
Mr. T.
9 years ago

@ Kyle Murphy. You sound like an bigot. There’s my sample of free speech for the day. Why do you care who gets married or not? I doubt my wedding in February has impacted you in the slightest. Concerning the issue at hand… If 3 men began calling you a faggot in a public coffee house I doubt you would sit there saying “oh yes, free speech for all.” It’s about deflecting hate. Don’t be a bigot. Broaden your horizons man. And hopefully your heart will follow suit.

Kyle Murphy
Kyle Murphy
9 years ago

Replying to the comments stating that things are escalating and more people are hateful. Let me explain why I feel things are getting worse in some ways. you want same sex marriage. You push for it and you get it against what many people believe is a proper marriage between a man and a woman (yes, free speech, freedom of america). If anyone says anything other than your narrow little liberal mind, you scream and holler. So we have to keep our thoughts hidden and our feelings hidden. My parents divorced at a young age to find my father was… Read more »

Kyle Murphy
Kyle Murphy
9 years ago

free speech is for all

Rick Neves
9 years ago

Hollywood used to support this behavior. Check John Benders locker from the Breakfast club. It included a noose.

Jim Roberts
9 years ago

todays rollers….tomorrows competition

Jimmy Palmieri
9 years ago

@alison…..i smell the distinct scent of homophobia…

SE
SE
9 years ago

Whatever happened to charging people with Disturbing the Peace? I know it’s a petty charge, but it is a charge nevertheless. Walking into a peaceful environment and making anti-gay slurs disturbs the peace.

Kellan
Kellan
9 years ago

There appears to be many arm chair quarterbacks that don’t understand how the law works. Further, we were not there so it is extremely difficult to know exactly what happens. But as an attorney with experience in criminal law, I would suggest that Even if Leslie was arrested, the charges would have been dropped due to an inability to present a compelling case against him. If someone lunges at you in an aggressive manner, where you reasonably fear for your safety, you are allowed to defend yourself. The defense you use needs to be proportional to the harm coming at… Read more »