Lesbian Couple Kicked Out Of A Vienna Café For Kissing Sparks Protests

A lesbian couple was stunned last week when they were kicked out of the 1950s-themed Café Prückel in Vienna, Austria for kissing. Eva Prewein, 26, and Anastasia Lopez, 19, were initially told by a waiter to stop kissing, and when they complained to a manager he allegedly said, "that sort of behavior belongs in a brothel, and not in a traditional coffee house," according to The Local. 

In response, local LGBT and other activist groups like To Russia with Love Austria are organizing a kissing protest in front of the café on January 16, and so far, around 2,000 people have said they will be attending on the group's Facebook page.

"I don't like petting in my cafe. I don't care who is cuddling who — this is a traditional Viennese café and we don't encourage such behavior."

Even so, LGBT rights in Austria have lagged behind most other European countries. In Austria, homosexuality itself was banned until 1995, and, according to the Vienna Review, there were still thousands of people who were arrested for "homosexual offenses" as recently as 2005.