Honolulu to pay lesbians jailed after kissing

Honolulu has agreed to pay $80,000 to settle a lawsuit from two gay women who allege that a police officer wrongfully arrested them after he saw them kissing in a grocery store.

Details of the settlement were announced on Friday in federal court in Honolulu. It’s still subject to city council approval. The council is expected to consider the settlement at a July 6 meeting, said Honolulu deputy corporation counsel Nicolette Winter.

Courtney Wilson and Taylor Guerrero were visiting Hawaii form Los Angeles last year when, according to the their lawsuit, when they were harassed and arrested because the officer didn’t like their public displays of affection in a Foodland store on Oahu’s North Shore.

They were walking through the aisles holding hands and at one point hugged and kissed, the lawsuit said. Officer Bobby Harrison, who was shopping in uniform, “observed their consensual romantic contact and, in a loud voice, ordered plaintiffs to stop and take it somewhere else.” The women complied and continued shopping, the lawsuit said. When Mr Harrison again saw them being affectionate with each other, he threatened to have them thrown out of the store.

While the women were in the check-out line, Mr Harrison grabbed Ms Wilson by the wrist, and she started to call 911, the women described last year. The three of them got into a scuffle and Mr Harrison arrested them. They were charged with felony assault on an officer and spent three days in jail.