Gay Couple Sprayed with Holy Water Outside Church in Mexico – PEOPLE
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A gay couple hugging in front of a church in Mexico were apparently sprayed with holy water by a woman who threatened to call authorities on them.
Leonardo Hernández shared footage of the incident in a TikTok video, which has now gone viral, garnering over 380,000 views so far.
“Get out right now! I’m going to call the police,” the woman says in Spanish in the footage, making the sign of the cross as she continued to spritz water in the couple’s direction.
The pair appeared to have been minding their own business on Wednesday afternoon while enjoying some sites in Toluca, which is roughly 50 miles west of Mexico City.
“It is bad to hate,” Hernández can be heard telling the woman.
An observer of the scene came to the couple’s defense: “They are not doing anything,” they said. “They are just sitting here.”
The woman also took her phone out and said she was calling police, then began saying the church is private property, calling it “the lord’s house,” and that the couple were not welcome there.
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According to the video, Hernández got on the phone and explained that the couple were simply hugging and not doing anything inappropriate.
The person on the other line can be heard saying, “this is discrimination,” but asked that the couple leave the steps to avoid any further escalation. Hernández then thanked the person on the phone before the video ended.
Hernández captioned his video with further thoughts on the encounter:
“Its difficult to understand that someone can treat you like this for loving freely 💔 the good ones, we’re more; Thanks to the authorities and people of the church who decided to act with love and consistency.”
Speaking to NBC News, Hernandez expressed his gratitude for the encouraging comments he’s received on social media and which make him see, overall, that “we are learning to accept the great diversity that exists in this world.”
Hernandez echoed the sentiment to PEOPLE in a comment: “Thanks for the support and all the love!”
Same-sex marriage is now legal in every state of Mexico.