Uber driver kicks couple out for being gay, threatens to call police

An Uber driver in New Jersey was removed from the ride-sharing app after she allegedly kicked out a couple for being gay last Friday, NJ.com reports.

In a now viral video, the driver, identified only as Cynthia, got into a heated confrontation with Camden County couple Kristin Michele and Jenn Mangan after Michele allegedly leaned over to kiss Mangan on the cheek. At the time, Michele and Mangan were on their way to a Zac Brown Band concert.

Michele recorded the exchange and posted the footage on Facebook, drawing over a hundred comments condemning the driver for refusing service to the couple.

"I gave my girlfriend a kiss on the cheek and she pulled the car over and said, 'You need to get out of my car,'" Michele wrote. "I asked why. She said 'I won’t have that in my car.' I asked what she was referring to. She said 'you need to get out of my car because you are gay.'"

In the 52-second clip, Michele repeatedly asks Cynthia whether she and Mangan are being kicked out because they're gay. The driver then turns around and simply says yes before lunging at the camera and telling the couple to get out of the vehicle. When Michele argues that she paid for the ride, Cynthia responds by saying that Michele and Mangan are in her "personal car" and threatens to call the police.

"It's 2019," Michele yells back at the driver. "You're kicking me out because I'm gay."

The video sparked anger from fellow Facebook users, who expressed their sympathy.

"I’m so sorry this happened to you!!! This is terrible!!!!!!!" one person wrote. "I’m angry for you! [Don’t] let this crazy person ruin your night! She is in the WRONG here!"

In an interview with NJ.com, Michele, who eventually walked half a mile home with Mangan before taking the train to the concert, said that the driver had claimed that she was a Christian and didn't believe in the couple's lifestyle.

On Sunday, Uber confirmed to the news site that Cynthia had been removed from its app.

"Uber does not tolerate discrimination in any form and we have been in contact with this rider," said spokesman Grant Klinzman. "We removed the driver’s access to the app as soon as we were made aware of this incident.”