Explain Away

This article describes a lesbian coupled asked to stop kissing in public. Here are two excerpts:

The usher, Guerrero said, told them he had received a complaint from a woman nearby who said that there were kids in the crowd of nearly 36,000 and that parents would have to explain why two women were kissing.

"I would be uncomfortable" seeing public displays of affection between lesbians or gay men, said Jim Ridneour, a 54-year-old taxi driver. "I don't think it's right seeing women kissing in public. If I had my family there, I'd have to explain what's going on."

Assuming this is a fairly accurate retelling of the story and the words said, the issue over explaining the kissing caught my attention. Two thoughts came to mind:

• Go ahead. Explain to your family that same-sex relationships are just as loving and affectionate in the exact same way heterosexual relationships do and that they can express those feelings in the exact same way.

• Deal with it. I get that you're uncomfortable with it; we encounter uncomfortable things every day.* I concede that there are limits to behavior in polite society, but I submit that they should be the same for everybody. The sentiment that "I'm ok with gays so long as they don't act gay in public" is bullshit.
  

*: I've overheard conversations while on public transit that were both uncomfortable and distracting.