3 Gays Sue Boys Market Inc. for Alleged Slur by Employee

Three homosexual men filed suit against Boys Market Inc. on Thursday, claiming they were “humiliated and degraded” while shopping at the chain’s Marina del Rey store when an employee shouted “Faggots, get out of the market and don’t come back” over the public address system.

Vernon Mitchell, 59, a retired aerospace administrator, said that after the alleged December, 1985, incident, he and his companions, John Batchelor and Mark Tullai, confronted the manager and received a “flippant” response.

“I was outraged,” Mitchell said. “I’m a veteran of two wars, and I refuse to be a third-class citizen and be insulted when I go into a supermarket.”

His attorney, Gloria Allred, said the market violated state civil rights laws, which prohibit businesses from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation.

Boys Vice President Jim Fike said the market has been unable to clearly establish that the incident occurred as alleged. He said the company nonetheless made a settlement offer, which was rejected.