Arts & Entertainment
Lesbian couple arrested for kissing at grocery store receive $80K settlement
city gives two women compensation for homophobic incident
(Screenshot via Hawaii News Now)
A lesbian couple arrested for kissing in a Hawaii grocery store has received an $80,000 settlement from the city of Honolulu.
Hawaii News Now reports Taylor Guerrero and Courtney Wilson were kissing and hugging in the aisles of a grocery store while visiting Honolulu from Los Angeles last year. The lawsuit claims officer Bobby Harrison was also shopping when he “observed their consensual romantic contact and, in a loud voice, ordered plaintiffs to stop and ‘take it somewhere else.'”
The two women complied, but later continued being affectionate with one another in the check-out line. According to the lawsuit, Harrison grabbed Wilson by the wrist and a physical altercation ensued between the three. Guerrero and Wilson were charged with felony assault on an officer and the store had prepared a letter of trespass against them, but charges were dismissed. The store has already paid Guerrero and Wilson a $10,000 settlement of its own.
Hawaii News Now reports Harrison retired a couple months after the incident and has been dismissed from the lawsuit.
Wilson told Hawaii News Now she and Guerrero wanted to be compensated, but ” more or less we wanted Officer Harrison to suffer some sort of repercussions for his actions.”
Guerrero and Wilson are no longer a couple, but keep in contact.
Hawaii News Now – KGMB and KHNL
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(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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