Church woman sprays gay couple with holy water: “Get out right now!” – LGBTQ Nation
A gay couple was sprayed with what was reportedly holy water outside a church in Mexico. Video of the encounter has gone viral on TikTok.
Leonardo Hernández, an architectural designer, and his partner Thomas were sitting on the steps outside a church in Toluca, a town 50 miles west of Mexico City, with their arms around each other when a woman approached them and sprayed a fine mist of from a small bottle while making the sign of the cross.
“Get out right now! I’m going to call the police,” the woman told the couple in Spanish, according to NBC News.
Hernández, who recorded the video, can be heard telling her, “It is bad to hate, lady.”
A bystander defended the couple, telling the woman, “They are not doing anything. They are just sitting here.”
The woman then called the police, telling them that the church is private property and that the couple was not welcome.
“They are not from here,” she said. “They come from other depraved countries to teach immorality to the youth here.”
The video then cuts to Hernández, who lives in Mexico City, speaking to authorities on the woman’s phone. He told them that he didn’t think hugging his partner is an “immoral act” and that he and his partner have been respectful to the woman. The officer on the other end of the line can be heard saying that he’d told the woman that what she was doing was discrimination and asked the couple to leave the church steps to avoid confrontation.
@leoperovirgo Que dificil entender que alguien puede tratarte asi por el hecho de de amar libremente 💔 los buenos somos más; Gracias a las autoridades y gente de la iglesia que decidieron actuar con amor y congruencia 💖🏳️🌈
Hernández later posted the video to TikTok, where it has received nearly 400,000 views.
“It’s difficult to understand that someone can treat you like this for loving freely,” Hernandez captioned the video in Spanish. “The good are more; Thanks to the authorities and people of the church who decided to act with love and consistency.”
Hernández, who has also appeared on Mexican TV to discuss the incident, said that he believes that religion should be about doing good, being respectful, loving your neighbor unconditionally, and being able to love freely, but he added that it is often used to promote “hate and rejection of a group for the simple fact of loving and being who you are.”
Despite that, he also said the supportive response to the video shows that “we are learning to accept the great diversity that exists in this world.”