We'll have no straight people here!

[Nanor]

Australian pub bars heterosexuals

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6697469.stm

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

Basically an Aussie bar that apparently caters to a homosexual clientel has decided that for various reasons its ok to cry fowl when others don't want your particular orientation about, but seem to conveniently forget chants for equality and all that when it comes to themselves.

Nice way to shoot yourselves in the foot, lads and lasses, nice way.

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

So much for that..

Discuss! Is this right? Should this have been approved? How do you check for sexuality? Would this allow straight only bars?

 

[Tetsuo_Shima]

Just imagine a pub that banned homosexuals, you'd have a lawsuit at your doorstep before you can say 'reach around'.

 

[DocBot]

There's always a wording that allows for discrimination if it is "needed", so to speak. I cba to word it in english, but here in Sweden, one of the worlds "most equal" countries, there are a few of these clubs as well. Of course, it is all rather academic since there is no way of telling whether anyone is homosexual or not, but these clubs in sweden are women only.

I actually emailed a question about the legality of this to our equality ombudsman and got an answer about how it's perfectly legal since the spirit of the thing is against discrimination. Or smth along those lines.

 

[Gopha]

Well, it always works against the majority and quite frankly I find it disgusting, they always say there being secluded etc but they just seclude themselves by making Homosexual People only bars. Whats the deal with that?

 

[Fi$hy]

I fully support this poor bar:

For one, there is no "Gay Test" on the door, it just gives the bouncer the right to refuse clients entry

Secondly, a heterosexual man or woman wanting to go to the pub, will still be allowed in, there's no gay test

The reason the bar has put this piece of restriction in place, is to get rid of the twats who come in to attack its gay clientelle. Heterosexuals coming for the bar itself; fair doo's

This ban allows the club to rid itself of homophobic vigilantes and "hen nights" taking advantage of its comic appeal (which it recognises as a problem)..... It's not some kind of anti-straight segregation... Just allows genuine customers to have a drink in peace

 

[Gopha]

Thats a fair point but why cant everyone be accepted, I just wish there was proper equality, because , earlier I was a lil angry and I may have sounded harsh.I apologise for this. I just would like everyone to get on without discrimination.

 

[Wraith]

The reason the bar has put this piece of restriction in place, is to get rid of the twats who come in to attack its gay clientelle. Heterosexuals coming for the bar itself; fair doo's

They already have that power. It's called the right to refuse service and every business has it. If someone is causing actual trouble the bouncers can remove the troublemakers or the police can be called, just like every other pub in Australia. It did not require a specific decision to allow the Peel Hotel to

ban patrons based on their sexual orientation.

This is an entirely discriminatory decision and should be overturned.

According to wikipedia, discrimination is

to make a distinction between people on the basis of class or category without regard to individual merit. Examples of categories on which social discrimination is seen include race, religion, gender, weight, disability, ethnicity, height, employment circumstances, sexual orientation and age.

With that decription, how is a decision to allow them to ban based on sexual preference anything but discrimination.

The other point is that the manager supposedly said Stag and Hen parties can create a bad atmosphere for other customers, but again that is true in any bar. I have seen Stag parties causing trouble many times. Not because they were "Gay-bashing", but simply because it's a large group of guys tanked up on alcohol and getting stupid because of it. All that happens is they get kicked out of the bar (or get arrested if it's serious enough).

 

[Taffy]

Why do they need to have special legislation to kick people out of their bar? They don't legally have to serve you, so why don't they just kick trouble makers out of the bar?

Secondly, I would like to point out that gay stag and hen parties are just as likely to cause trouble as straight ones. Therefore, shouldn't bars now be allowed to ban homosexuals on the basis that they cause trouble in the bar?

Smells like a bit of a publicity stunt to me...