Gay bar wins right to ban Straights

[Tony-DarkGrave]

A Melbourne gay bar has been granted an exemption from the Equal Opportunity Act in a landmark ruling which will allow security to refuse entry to heterosexuals.

The owners of Collingwood's Peel Hotel, which came under fire in April for promoting a gay Anzac Day party, successfully argued to the state planning tribunal that banning heterosexuals from the club would prevent "sexually based insults and violence".
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal granted the controversial powers to the club last week, the Herald Sun reports.

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VCAT deputy president Cate McKenzie claimed that allowing straight men and women into the club would defeat the purpose of the venue.

"This would undermine or destroy the atmosphere which the company wishes to create," McKenzie said.

"Sometimes heterosexual groups and lesbian groups insult and deride and are even physically violent towards the gay male patrons."

McKenzie said some straight women came to the club because they found the gay patrons entertaining.

"To regard the gay male patrons of the venue as providing an entertainment or spectacle to be stared at, as one would at an animal at a zoo, devalues and dehumanises them," she said.

"(This exemption) seeks to give gay men a space in which they may, without inhibition, meet, socialise and express physical attraction to each other in a non-threatening atmosphere."

A spokeswoman for the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Lobby Group told the Herald Sun that gay men at the Peel had been made to feel like "zoo animals".

"This exemption was not sought to exclude members of the community but to try to maintain a safe space for men to meet," the spokeswoman said.

"It's sad that members of our community would have to go to the VCAT to preserve their rights.

"This is one of the only free venues with live music in the area, so certainly some people may feel a bit unhappy about the decision

Sourcere

i think its stupid there trying to hide all the dykes and buttsecks

[morefngdbs]

Similar problem in the news here about a gay bar in Montreal.
Some girl went into the bar (on the patio actually) & they refused to serve her.
She's sueing for being terribly traumatised, by being asked to leave.

My girlfriend is a bartender.
She says that bars in Canada , have the right to refuse service to anyone .
No reason needs to be given.
They just ask you to leave.

[Tony-DarkGrave]

At 6/1/07 04:09 PM, morefngdbs wrote: My girlfriend is a bartender.
She says that bars in Canada , have the right to refuse service to anyone .
No reason needs to be given.
They just ask you to leave.

yes it is because its a private business they have the right to ask you to leave

[Elfer]

Yeah, I heard about that Montreal one on the radio, they had some gay dude on talking about how it might not be a good idea to rule that gay bars can keep out straights, because it opens the door to straight bars throwing out gays.

[blznavy]

well if regukar bars have the right to bann homosexuals then its not a problem

[Tony-DarkGrave]

i wouldnt say that then it would be a double standard.

[fli]

I don't agree with it...
If straight people were such a problem, they should have either make it as a "member only" club where you pay a fee and sign a contract that says not to cause problems (like some places in SF) or cancel the event altogether.

But I understand what straight people can do.
There's the cool type, and then there's the weird or messed up type. The one gay bar I go (I'm not much of the bar scene, but this one has a nice ambiance)-- had a group of these guys snickering and making jokes about people at the bar.

The women are cool... but, I don't really understand.
The gays who have those women with them are TOTALLY craving for their attention. I mean, it's a symbiotic relationship there. Straight gal wants amusement... gay guy (usually, flamboyant type) gives amusement.

[Tony-DarkGrave]

yes but gays love suprising straight that there in a gay bar

[Korriken]

so bascially, its yet anotther shining example that the government gives special rights to minority groups, and yet deny these very same rights to majority groups. fabulous. whats next, being able to legally refuse to hire a person because they're not a minority? I can hear it now, "oh, I'm sorry, we don't hire middle class white straight people, its against company policy."

[Tony-DarkGrave]

At 6/1/07 06:58 PM, Korriken wrote: so bascially, its yet anotther shining example that the government gives special rights to minority groups, and yet deny these very same rights to majority groups. fabulous. whats next, being able to legally refuse to hire a person because they're not a minority? I can hear it now, "oh, I'm sorry, we don't hire middle class white straight people, its against company policy."

wrong. the bar is a private business so they can deny people service on free will.

[InsertFunnyUserName]

It seems like a good idea on the outside, but couldn't that same concept be aplied to regular bars that just don't like gays?

The equal opportunities act is there for a reason. Any person is supposed to have the equal ability to go anywhere, as long as they are not causing physical harm to other people. If we start making exemptions for one minority, then we have to make them for all.

I'm not really strongly opposed to them not letting in straight people; I can see the thinking behind it. But what I am afraid of is where this may lead. I see it as a step towards the retarding of humanities progress to try and get global acceptance of other people's differences. If these people have seperate rights, than isn't that just pointing out the fact they are different?

What it comes down to is the fact that people just need to realize that they will always be judged. They just need to get used to it.

[SirLebowski]

At 6/1/07 08:10 PM, InsertFunnyUserName wrote: It seems like a good idea on the outside, but couldn't that same concept be aplied to regular bars that just don't like gays?

Well I think it's stupid to ban them. When you could just ask the specific trouble makers to leave. Of course this is a little different. A gay bar is ment to serve homosexual people, it has a specific purpose. While a regular bar doesn't really mean a STRAIGHT bar. It's just a general place for anyone to drink.

So there is a bit of a difference, in that sense.

[Memorize]

If it's a private business, then they can do as they wish in this case. And should be able to.

[InsertFunnyUserName]

At 6/1/07 08:18 PM, SirLebowski wrote:

At 6/1/07 08:10 PM, InsertFunnyUserName wrote: It seems like a good idea on the outside, but couldn't that same concept be aplied to regular bars that just don't like gays?

Well I think it's stupid to ban them. When you could just ask the specific trouble makers to leave. Of course this is a little different. A gay bar is ment to serve homosexual people, it has a specific purpose. While a regular bar doesn't really mean a STRAIGHT bar. It's just a general place for anyone to drink.

So there is a bit of a difference, in that sense.

That's a good point.

I can see the reasons for both sides of the argument. They way I see it, we either have to let ALL private buisnesses deny WHOEVER they want, or make ALL buisnesses let in EVERYBODY - as long as there's a reason.

[PantyWipe]

Good for them. For all the bullshit the gay community has had to endure, I'm glad to see them get to be prejudice for a change.

[Tancrisism]

At 6/1/07 07:10 PM, Dante-Son-Of-Sparda wrote: wrong. the bar is a private business so they can deny people service on free will.

Right, but last I checked, they weren't allowed to ban all people of one denomination (be it black, white, gay or straight) from entering their bar.

Suddenly America seems slightly less fucked up than the rest of the world.

[fli]

At 6/1/07 05:45 PM, Dante-Son-Of-Sparda wrote: yes but gays love suprising straight that there in a gay bar

I didn't understand that one...

[Tony-DarkGrave]

At 6/1/07 09:21 PM, fli wrote:

At 6/1/07 05:45 PM, Dante-Son-Of-Sparda wrote: yes but gays love suprising straight that there in a gay bar

I didn't understand that one...

when a straight person walks into a gay bar without knowing its a gay bar then a gay person tells them to look around and if they do they will see and freak out.

[FeargusMcDuff]

Wasnt the reason that women wanted to go into there without having to worry about being 'dehumanised' by hetrosexual men?

I think it's a perfectly fair rule, it's their club and they should be allowed to do it because the reason they are doing it is not bigoted and unjust but more like a minority trying to get away from mainstream.

[Tony-DarkGrave]

who cares the bar is a private busniess they have the right to turn people down

[FeargusMcDuff]

At 6/1/07 09:16 PM, Tancrisism wrote: Right, but last I checked, they weren't allowed to ban all people of one denomination (be it black, white, gay or straight) from entering their bar.

Right but the reason wasnt due to heterosexual men simply being heterosexual, the rule was brought about to protect the women that go into the bar(That's what i read anyway). It wasnt like "You cant come in because you're black", it was more like "You cant come in because you will have urges to make passes towards women in this bar that clearly do not want to have men attracted to them for what ever reason."

And besides, it's not like heterosexual men have nowhere else to go.

Suddenly America seems slightly less fucked up than the rest of the world.

I agree but on different grounds.

[TheBasics]

Wow that doesn't sound too constitutional to me, but hey if the ban straights from gay bars....who cares?

[Tancrisism]

At 6/1/07 09:54 PM, FeargusMcDuff wrote:

At 6/1/07 09:16 PM, Tancrisism wrote: Right, but last I checked, they weren't allowed to ban all people of one denomination (be it black, white, gay or straight) from entering their bar.

Right but the reason wasnt due to heterosexual men simply being heterosexual, the rule was brought about to protect the women that go into the bar(That's what i read anyway). It wasnt like "You cant come in because you're black", it was more like "You cant come in because you will have urges to make passes towards women in this bar that clearly do not want to have men attracted to them for what ever reason."

But that's prejudging the person; what if the heterosexual male wants to go into the bar so heterosexual women won't be attracted to him for whatever reason?

Why can't we all just get along and share bars. If a gay guy is going to hit on me, I'm going to politely tell him that I'm just not into that sort of thing. Perhaps we'll have a good conversation or something, but either way I wouldn't want gay men to be kicked out of straight bars and straight men to be kicked out of gay bars. This is sexual orientation segregation, and it's bullshit as far as I am concerned.

And besides, it's not like heterosexual men have nowhere else to go.

This is true.

Suddenly America seems slightly less fucked up than the rest of the world.

I agree but on different grounds.

Such as?

[Tony-DarkGrave]

FOR THE LAST TIME! bars are private businesses they have a right to.

[Gunter45]

I'm going to make a bar and refuse service to black people, no reason given. I'll just ask them to leave. Based on these responses, I'll be fully within my right as a business owner to do that.

You guys are fucking idiots.

[Tony-DarkGrave]

At 6/1/07 11:53 PM, Gunter45 wrote: I'm going to make a bar and refuse service to black people, no reason given. I'll just ask them to leave. Based on these responses, I'll be fully within my right as a business owner to do that.

You guys are fucking idiots.

what about sams club or the Golden corral? there private businesses and they refuse all the time

[Gunter45]

At 6/1/07 11:59 PM, Dante-Son-Of-Sparda wrote: what about sams club or the Golden corral? there private businesses and they refuse all the time

Way to completely ignore my point. I made it as obvious as I could, now go back and re-read the post.

[Tony-DarkGrave]

At 6/2/07 12:00 AM, Gunter45 wrote:

At 6/1/07 11:59 PM, Dante-Son-Of-Sparda wrote: what about sams club or the Golden corral? there private businesses and they refuse all the time

Way to completely ignore my point. I made it as obvious as I could, now go back and re-read the post.

oh mmkay I reread and you can do that if you are a private business.

[troubles1]

how come liberals call for equal rights, and the homosexual community, keep claiming that they are being oppressed by heterosexuals, yet they go and do this. I can guarantee that if a straight person said that they are making a bar that would not allow Gay people the Gay community would be there protesting, and suing the owner in a heartbeat. that is another example of the liberals destroying our country.

[Gunter45]

At 6/2/07 12:05 AM, Dante-Son-Of-Sparda wrote: oh mmkay I reread and you can do that if you are a private business.

Sure, it's legal, but that doesn't instantly make something right, is that clear enough for you? You can lick batteries all day long, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea.

In America, I'm actually glad that people can eject anyone from their business without any kind of backlash, but making it a policy to remove everyone in a certain group isn't just unethical, it's bad business. I appreciate these business right to not make as much money as they could, but I mean, damn, at least pick a reason that's less stupid.

Is that more clear for you?