Here's some food for thought. A security guard working at the "Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories" exhibition at San Francisco's Contemporary Jewish Museum last Sunday afternoon told a lesbian couple visiting the show that they were not allowed to hold hands, reports SFGate. Ignorance? Absurdity? Insanity?

Once, when I was in Tokyo, chewing a piece of gum while perusing paintings at a particular modern art museum, I was asked to dispose of the sticky substance immediately. After some quick processing, I understood that, yes, the potential danger came from the notion that someone could theoretically damage a valuable work of art by placing gum on its canvas. Fine. Gum was thrown away. But what exactly is the threat of holding hands while enjoying a show about a woman who, among other things, is the author of one of the earliest coming out stories ever written? And this, in a museum that "has distinguished itself as a welcoming place where visitors can connect with one another through dialogue [but not through holding hands!] and shared experiences with the arts". And this, in a city world-renowned for its acceptance of gay people. In any case, what is so wrong with holding hands?

Museum officials have requested that the guard, who works for a private security company, be reprimanded. Phew.