Shirts Off for Maine Gay Bartenders?

"I really don't want a curly chest hair in my gin and tonic." -- Twink or shaved bartenders, only. What's not to love about that?

My partner of 28 years and I just returned from two glorious weeks in Ogunquit/Cape Neddick, Maine. We've been vacationing tere for about 20 years and find the people of Maine as nice and progressive as in MD or MA. This issue of gay rights and gay marriage is on the right track and will come in time. I just pray it's in my lifetime. When I came out in 9th grade in 1971, no one even spoke out about being gay much less ask permission to get married. MUCH has changed for the better in the ensuing 40 years and young gays should be as thankful as can be that others blazed the trail for them and STOP fighting about whose state's dick is bigger (JT and John Equality). PS - The great Attorney General of Maryland has stated that he will recognize gay marriages performed in other states. Again, more progress!

I'm sure any bar in the country would find a way around health and safety code if women were serving topless. I know there are no gay men worried about this, though there are some hairy ones. I really don't want a curly chest hair in my gin and tonic. But I don like how the "health code" is a code word for levitical discipline. If you're going to be uptight, own it.

Yes, JT, what wonderful progress: Your state's people took away your marriage equality, and now the health inspector at a gay resort town is making up laws in order to push around gay business proprietors. You're all kinds of pissed off at me, but you're the one who *started off* talking about Maine and Massachusetts, if you recall. All I originally said was that the people of Maine already gave the LGBT community a slap in the face when they voted to rescind existing marriage equality. That's it--that's all I said. If you think that action didn't hurt and anger LGBT people all over the country, you're even more self-delusional than I thought. So keep spouting off all this nonsense all you want. Your beef is not with me (although you've tried to make it personal)--I'm just pointing out the obvious facts. Sorry you don't like them, but berating me doesn't help matters. It just makes you look (more) like a rabid, bitter lunatic.

@JohnE, bottom line is, MA thinks they are better than everyone when it comes to gay equality and your are spouting proof of it. All you can do is 'brag' about your states 'court' ruling rather than taking action to help spread equality across the country. I worked my ass off on the marriage equality campaign here in Maine, and so did thousands of others. You can fail to recognize that all you want and make fun of us all you want. You can 'brag about your state' all you want, your no better than anyone else, contrary to what you make think in that imaginative narrow mind of yours. I WILL NOT allow the shallow likes of some 'queen come lately' to ruin the progress WE here in Maine are working hard for. As for your defense about your states safeguards, that's bullshit. Your memory is as little as your brain. And I will waste no more time with your elementary politics.

OK what I find interesting is that Paul Lempicki being the health inspector does NOT know the laws. That is the big issue here. If he does not know the laws then do not enforce them. The smart move would have been to take the shirtless complaint, research the current law, consult the city's attorney and then decide what to do. Personally, screw the public apology, force his to resign and then let the lawsuits begin. His actions are costing the bartenders money for doing their jobs. The Bartenders should be compensated. DON'T ACT on a law you know nothing about. Get details first.

If someone is complaining about someone with their shirt being off, it's probably because they (he or she or it — in this case) has an issue about airing their own tits in public; however, they certainly don't have a problem about airing their "control issues", at all.

Hey guys keep your shirts on! relax.....Everyone is so angry. I love Maine plan on spending my money there...it's not that big a deal, the boys will be shirtless soon enough I am sure

Gee, JT from Lewiston, for someone who "doesn't give a shit" what I think of Maine, you sure wrote a friggin book defending it! Yes, I should take GREAT comfort that when I cross over the border into Maine and become a second class citizen again, it was only a *narrow* vote that took my rights away. How warm and fuzzy! Your progressive legislature isn't worth shit when the mob mentality of a bunch of backwoods hicks can undo progressive legislation at will. Your speculation that the same thing would have happened in MA is bullshit--the point is, it *didn't,* because we have safeguards in place against mob rule. So for all your proud spouting off about how great Maine is, the truth remains that YOU DON'T have marriage equality (because your neightbors took it away) and WE DO.

If there was no code violation, then chances are good that discrimination was the real motive behind this. Still, I suggest that it's important to keep perspective. We've seen incidents recently in which police raided bars and even injured patrons, and the motive turned out to be discrimination. This is not one of those times. No one has been injured. Bartenders were only asked to put on shirts. This may turn out to be a rights violation, but compare it to the denial of marriage rights, to people getting fired solely because of their sexual orientation, being discharged under Don't Ask Don't Tell, or denied the right to visit a loved one in the hospital. I know there's a lot of anger in Maine right now over the loss of marriage, but let's channel our anger into the larger struggles, the battles that must be won.