A Brooklyn maternity store that is now giving a 10% discount to lesbian moms has prompted both criticism and now threats.
In a one-week period, Paperno [the owner of the store] says she’s fielded five crazed callers — mostly homophobes from out of state — who have spewed hate speech and even threatened to hurt her.
Among the comments reported in The Brooklyn Paper and their effect on the shop owner:
“This is blatantly discriminatory,” wrote Richard Sol, one commenter on the blog. “I wish godspeed to whomever sues these sexists.”
It got worse when several scary men — some of whom accused Paperno of trying to get rich in the name of sin — began to phone Boing Boing.
One called her, “a fat bull dyke who needs to get f—ed.”
Now, she says she’s scared to be alone at the shop at night.
The store owner decided to offer the discount “as a celebration of feminism and diversity” and out of a recognition that women make less money than men. She has been taking customers at their word in asking for the discount and said that the straight moms have had no problem with the discount.
I guess it is true that no good deed goes unpunished.
-Tony Infanti
