Nellie’s Sports Bar has fired the independent security vendor it had hired to help with crowd control during this past weekend’s Pride festivities, and will remain closed for the remainder of the week.
The popular LGBTQ hangout was fiercely criticized on social media and protested by activists, including members of Black Lives Matter DC, after security guards were videotaped dragging a woman down the stairs by her arms and her hair. Some protesters called for the bar to be permanently shut down, and encouraged their friends and social circles to stop patronizing Nellie’s as a result.
The incident allegedly stemmed from a case of mistaken identity, according to the victim, 22-year-old Keisha Young. She told WUSA9 that she was mistaken for another patron who had brought an open container of alcohol into the bar, and was roughly accosted by security and dragged down the stairs.
In a statement posted to its Facebook page, the management of Nellie’s said it had “terminated, with immediate effect” the independent security vendor and that it would continue its own investigation into what happened.
“Our investigation into the matter is ongoing, and we will cooperate with any law enforcement investigation, however we do not need to wait for the investigation’s conclusion before we take decisive action,” the statement reads. “We offer a heartfelt apology to all who witnessed the horrific events of this past weekend. No matter what behavior occurred prior, nothing warrants mistreating, and disrespecting, one of our guests.
“What we can say is we have heard the concerns of the BIPOC and LGBTQ communities,” the statement continues. “Nellie’s will be closed this week as we evaluate this regrettable situation, though we will continue to pay all non-security staff their normal wages. In the interim, we will use this time to listen and understand what more we can do to create the safe and friendly atmosphere our guests have come to expect from Nellie’s Sports Bar over the past 14 years.”
San Francisco Mayor London Breed said she will not march in next month's Pride parade as long as organizers continue to bar law enforcement officers from wearing their uniforms while marching in the parade.
Parade organizers have advised LGBTQ officers who wish to march in the parade, which is scheduled for June 26, that they will be allowed to march in T-shirts with their law enforcement agency's logo, but not their professional uniforms with a badge.
Some officers in the San Francisco Police Officers' Pride Alliance balked at the idea, arguing that the uniform ban forces them to "closet" part of their identity in order to gain acceptance from the wider community -- which is at odds with the concept of being an "out" and proud LGBTQ person.
A few months ago, the daughter of two lesbians fought back at anti-LGBTQ Internet trolls by releasing a viral tongue-in-cheek video explaining the "trauma" she experienced from growing up with two moms. The video has gained over 171,000 likes and over 636,000 views.
Sidney Clementine, who uses the TikTok username @sidneyclementine, posted a video describing the times in her life when her mothers "oppressed her."
Clementine starts the video by explaining one of the earliest instances in her young life where she felt her moms didn't accept her: when she wanted to get a pink, punk rock-inspired 'scene' hairstyle.
Last week, the Republican-led New Hampshire House of Representatives narrowly defeated a proposed "parental rights" bill that Gov. Chris Sununu had already threatened to veto.
The proposed bill, which passed on party-lines in the state Senate, but saw some Republican defectors in the House, sought to expand parents' oversight into the curriculum and activities at public schools, and would have allowed parents to sue schools and teachers over grievances.
Many Republicans championed the bill, which they claimed was prompted by anger from constituents stemming from an alleged lack of communication from teachers, or objections to some of the curriculum content being taught in schools -- both of which came under scrutiny during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many school districts offered virtual learning in place of in-person instruction, especially during the 2020-2021 school year.
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