Australian pub bars heterosexuals

Sign of Peel Hotel, 28 May 2007

The hotel's ban is a first for Australia

A gay pub in the city of Melbourne has won the right to ban heterosexuals - the first time such a decision has been made in Australia.

The Victorian state civil and administrative tribunal ruled the Peel Hotel could ban patrons based on their sexual orientation.

The pub's management said the move would stop groups of heterosexual men and women abusing gay people.

Civil liberties groups have supported the decision.

'Safe balance'

The tribunal's president said groups of straight women found homosexual men entertaining but that such attention was dehumanising, the BBC's Phil Mercer in Sydney says.

Managers complained raucous hen nights and stag parties created a poisonous atmosphere for its gay clientele, our correspondent says.

"If I can limit the number of heterosexuals entering the Peel, then that helps me keep the safe balance," the hotel's manager, Tom McFeely, told Australian radio, according to the Reuters news agency.

Tom McFeely, The Peel manager, 28 May 2007
Mr McFeely says he wants a "safe balance"

He said while Melbourne had 2,000 venues catering for heterosexuals, his was the only bar aimed exclusively at gay men.

Civil liberties groups said homosexuals should be allowed to relax in places without fear of bullying or intimidation.

Australia's equal opportunity laws prevent discrimination based on race, religion or sexuality.



Do you guys think this is progressive or discriminative? I think it's an odd combination of both...of course there should be venues where gay people feel safe, but it feels like the discrimination we're trying to fight is being exercised in reverse. I wouldn't want to go to a club that wouldn't let my straight friends in, after all...

It's too late for me to discuss this reasonably or intelligently - I'll try later - as I've spent five hours writing reports BUT:

It's fkn re ed.

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actualy [sic] I have quite a blessed life if I'm honest. I have many people to love, hate few and have few money problem's [sic].... What more does a person need? Oh yeah and I have some kind of humbleness unlike you of course ^_^ ~ CarefulCarpenter

Then just don't let in rowdy groups. Plenty of bars would turn them away and that is their right, but barring them because they are straight and not because they are loud and obnoxious is just odd.

I love the crazed attempt to make out like it's somehow the only gay bar in Melbourne. Even fucking Christchurch has about four. And it's a tenth the size of Melbourne. And less European.

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Time is the distance that you can't return by miles.

I escaped somehow. Let's go

actualy [sic] I have quite a blessed life if I'm honest. I have many people to love, hate few and have few money problem's [sic].... What more does a person need? Oh yeah and I have some kind of humbleness unlike you of course ^_^ ~ CarefulCarpenter

I may not have a fake ID, but I could still sneak in if i show a fake limp wrist.

How exactly will they weed out every hetro?
Will they inquire at the door, will you get kicked out for looking too "hetro"?
How do they determine gay/bi/hetro?

It'll all come out in their voice thweetie

Considering it's probably the same guys going there all the time they'd know who was a regular and who wasn't. It annoyed me when I read all the comments on the news though from gay guys going YES this is great we need this. Blergh..

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Juices like wine, like the blood in the sands.

In that case I am not sure I would get in, despite my faggotry, and that's total racism. I'd quickly bleach my hair before I went, or something.

NEWZ TO HAND:
They have a live gay sex show just inside the door. If you don't try to join in, you won't get any further.

__________________
Time is the distance that you can't return by miles.

I escaped somehow. Let's go

actualy [sic] I have quite a blessed life if I'm honest. I have many people to love, hate few and have few money problem's [sic].... What more does a person need? Oh yeah and I have some kind of humbleness unlike you of course ^_^ ~ CarefulCarpenter

i've been there. um yeah. that was all i had to add. /random

And... did teh straightz0rs ruin your night? Spill your cocktail? Snag something on your mesh singlet?

Oh, and a rating out of 16, please!

__________________
Time is the distance that you can't return by miles.

I escaped somehow. Let's go

actualy [sic] I have quite a blessed life if I'm honest. I have many people to love, hate few and have few money problem's [sic].... What more does a person need? Oh yeah and I have some kind of humbleness unlike you of course ^_^ ~ CarefulCarpenter

they played spice girls and kylie minogue with video clips in one room which i thought was great since the clubs i go to never play anything that pop. they had a pole you could dance on in another room. upstairs is 'men only' and apparently there is sexing going on up there. boys don't have to wear tops and their drugs are way stronger than i am used to. i would give it a 10/16.

my gay boy friends have tried to get me to go with them a few times but i've only been once because i don't really get the whole fag hag thing. i mean, isn't the point of a gay club for gay people, not for gay boys and their fag hags!? if i was a gay boy i don't think i'd really like random straight girls being there.

If they ban straights there'll be a gaggle of fag hags at the door waiting. Possibly. Will be a weird inversion of the tradition of people "going outside for a fag" in countries where you can't smoke in bars.

__________________
Time is the distance that you can't return by miles.

I escaped somehow. Let's go

actualy [sic] I have quite a blessed life if I'm honest. I have many people to love, hate few and have few money problem's [sic].... What more does a person need? Oh yeah and I have some kind of humbleness unlike you of course ^_^ ~ CarefulCarpenter

stupid idea.
Raucous groups and people heckling the gays should be just thrown out.
Reverse discrimination is still discrimination........

This may sound gushing, but... your avatar is my current favourite.

__________________
Time is the distance that you can't return by miles.

I escaped somehow. Let's go

actualy [sic] I have quite a blessed life if I'm honest. I have many people to love, hate few and have few money problem's [sic].... What more does a person need? Oh yeah and I have some kind of humbleness unlike you of course ^_^ ~ CarefulCarpenter

I hadn't noticed this bit before. I assume they're still letting in some hetero-types and not barring them all outright? Surely they had the right to do this anyway.

I don't understand, the straight people go into this club to bully the gay people??? if that's the case, then RIGHT MOTHERCUKING ON!!!!!!!!


This is no descrimination. This is an owner securing the safety and RIGHTS of his clientele by banning people that don't respect and are hostile, they deserve it.

Straight people should be banned from more places.

i wonder if the ostensibly straight sports bars have a problem with gangs of queers coming in and demanding complicated cocktails and screaming 'OH MY GAWD' and 'WHAT-EVER'.

gay bars give me nightmares.

If the issue is the way people behaved then they need better security to deal with the nonsense. I don't think this is particularly positive. I just think that it would be deemed wrong if the shoe was on the other foot and a straight bar banned gay men.