Gay couple says they were spat on and called antigay slurs while staying at luxury resort

A man and his partner are speaking out after they say they suffered homophobic abuse while staying at a luxury resort in Turkey last year.

David and his partner tell PinkNews that they were booked at TUI Sensatori Resort Barut Fethiye, Turkey last October when they had an altercation with the straight couple staying in the room next to theirs.

The incident happened on October 15, 2019. David says the couple next door kept having “very loud sex” night after night. When his partner finally asked them to keep it down, they lashed out at him. To make matters worse, hotel staff did nothing to intervene.

“Bloke walked up to my partner as we were eating breakfast in the restaurant, shoved table into him, then spat in my partner’s face and said: ‘You two are an abomination against the Bible.’”

When David complained to a staff member about this, the person told him “guests were allowed ‘one strike’ before action is taken.” When he called the police to see about filing a report against the man, he was told law enforcement didn’t “count spitting in someone’s face as assault.”

That’s when David and his partner packed their things and checked into a different hotel.

TUI says it has reviewed the reports as well as surveillance footage of the spitting incident and that the “correct procedures had taken place in resort with our guidelines for situations like this.”

“The guests in question were given a warning and should anything have escalated any further, then the staff would have taken the next step,” a representative tells Pink News, adding that the company is “very sorry” that David and his partner didn’t have an enjoyable time on their vacation.

But this isn’t the first time TUI has been accused of not taking the needs of their LGBTQ guests seriously.

Last month, a young gay couple tweeted that they were on a TUI cruise in South East Asia for their Honeymoon when they suffered homophobic abuse from TUI staff members, including being ignored by waitstaff and laughed at when they danced together.

Related: Newlyweds stuck on cruise ship desperate to escape homophobic staff, say their honeymoon is “ruined”

www.queerty.com/gay-couple-says-spat-called-antigay-slurs-staying-luxury-resort-20200107?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

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www.advocate.com/election/2020/1/07/anti-lgbtq-extremists-evangelicals-trump

Sam Smith posts body positivity message on Instagram

Singer Sam Smith is currently vacationing in an unknown location, but it’s clearly somewhere warm and sunny. The singer, 27, who came out last year as non-binary and genderqueer, posted a topless photo to their Instagram in which they indicated they finally felt comfortable in their own skin.

Smith has previously talked about their issues with body image and being unhappy with the way they looked. However, coming out as non-binary and embracing their queerness in art and image seems to be doing them a world of good.

Related: Sam Smith poses and dances in briefs… because body positivity 

“Feels so good to have my top off on holiday. Spent all my life hiding my body from the sun. The last year my skin has been soaking in that LIGHT. Don’t let anyone or anything stop you from feeling that kiss from above you beautiful humans.”

The image has had over 1.1million likes and prompted many appreciative comments. Among those to comment was Golden Globe-winning actor Taron Egerton, who simply said, “You look gorgeous. X”

It’s not the only recent posting in which Smith has been unafraid to show off their body.

Smith has previously revealed undergoing liposuction at the age of 12 after a doctor told them they had an excess of estrogen, causing their breasts to enlarge. Finding worldwide fame at the age of 22 with the release of debut album, In The Lonely Hour, made Smith even more self-conscious and analytical of their looks.

However, going by postings over the last few months, they seem to be in a much more healthy place in regards to their appearance – and keen to spread that message to their followers.

Smith is currently working on their third studio album, expected to be released at some stage this year. They have said it will feature fewer ballads and more dance-oriented songs, following the success of their 2019 singles, “Dancing With A Stranger” and “How Do You Sleep”.

Related: LISTEN: Sam Smith releases a cover of ‘I Feel Love’ 

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