Paris Uber Driver Fired for Anti-Gay Discrimination

A French driver hired by the startup transportation company Uber was fired in Paris over the weekend for allegedly refusing to pick up two men because they are gay, //www.thelocal.fr/20140428/fired-uber-driver-i-dont-pick-up-gays|the French news site The Local reports.>

The incident happened Saturday night when two men ordered a car from the ride-sharing service and mobile app Uber. According to The Local, when the driver arrived to pick up the men, he asked them a few questions, trying to figure out if they had come from a gay club.

When he learned that they did come from a gay club, he refused to give them a lift.

"I don't take gays," he allegedly said, according to the French daily newspaper Le Parisien, before driving off.

The men still needed a ride home and called Uber again for another car. Surprisingly, the same driver showed but this time, the men took a photo of the driver's license plate, which sparked him to shout at the men.

"Come here, I'm going to break your phone," he allegedly said. "Come on, get in gays, I'll take you home," the driver allegedly added before leaving.

Scared of the threat, the two men went back to the club.

The men, who The Local identifies as Julie Leo Pasktier and Lucas Hrrschr, then took to Twitter to recount the incident and to let Uber know what had happened.

"No, I don't take gays. @Uber_Paris thank you to your driver plate number CSM759DM3 5:57am who refused our trip because it wasn't up to his taste," Pasktier tweeted.

Uber responded to Lucas's complaint and tweeted: "Luca, this unacceptable behavior is absolutely not representative of the spirit of Uber. The driver has been suspended."

Uber's Paris Twitter account then wrote: "I can confirm the driver will be fired. We don't joke around with this."

A similar incident occurred in March when a French bus driver was fired after he allegedly sprayed water on a teen lesbian couple for kissing.