You can go with the classic phrase “long distance relations don’t work” or maybe you’re willing to really work for it. If you’re more of the romantic type you would probably imagine the strain of not getting to see your lover daily and then when you finally do, melting into that over-the-top, slow moving embrace. No question that long distance relationships can be difficult but when you reunite it’s hard to let go.
Inevitably, you reach the end of your visit and the two of you must part once again. A tear trickles from your face as you hold your lover in the tightest (and hopefully not awkward looking at all) embrace that you could possibly share. Imagine as your lips part for the last time and suddenly you’re both being verbally harassed by a stern man who quickly insists that “kissing like that would not be tolerated.”
This is exactly what happened to Mirjiam van Heugten and her girlfriend Claire as they said their goodbyes on a train platform in France. Whats the big deal? Is it because kissing is not allowed on the Thalys train platform in Paris, France? Or is it because the couple kissing is not a man and a woman but instead two loving and devoted girlfriends? I imagine the latter is the case and when it comes to kissing in public lesbians are treated differently.
Since the altercation, Mirjiam and Claire have collected over 40,000 signatures for a petition demanding the train company make a public apology to the couple online.
Mirjiam, from Amsterdam came to visit her long term girlfriend Claire where she resides in Paris, France for a weekend. On February 16th when it was time to go that is when she learned that her actions were “supposedly” inappropriate.
Mirjam, 35, told Mirror Online: “I was shocked and disgusted. “It was horrible.”
“Me and Claire live in different countries, so our time together is special – we only see each other at weekends.”
“I felt destroyed when the man said that. I didn’t know what to do.”
“We love each other like all the other couples kissing on train platforms – so why should we be any different?”
Her first thought was to march to the head of the train station but was told that online activism would spread the word much faster and indeed it did.
So far however, she has received no apology but a standard, computer generated response that the company was “looking into it.”
Now their petition is at 40,000 and counting and Mirjiam is working with a campaign called All Out for pro equality. It’s amazing what the world can do when we band together, although it’s sad news like this still exists.
