The owners of Pink Pony, a new gay nightclub in Sydney, have apologized and vowed to change the club’s name following backlash from the local LGBTQ community.
Kevin Du-Val and Michael Lewis — the owner and manager of the popular gay club Palms — had planned to open their new multi-level venue on Oxford Street, the main drag in Darlinghurst known for its vibrant LGBTQ nightlife, in early December.
But the club’s name — which the owners said in a since-deleted social media post was “unashamedly inspired by its namesake song that resonates so profoundly within our community,” referring to lesbian singer Chappell Roan’s hit “Pink Pony Club” — sparked controversy after they described the type of patrons they hoped to attract, seemingly at the expense of others, according to 9News.
“In line with our experience and our passion, Pink Pony is being created specifically for 18-35 (state of mind) gay men who love to dance and get sweaty to high-powered dance music in a safe space that is theirs to enjoy,” Du-Val and Lewis wrote in the now-deleted post.
Speaking with Gay Sydney News, Lewis said women would be welcome at the club, but added that “our desire is that [the crowd] is predominantly gay boys, and when I say predominantly, I’m sort of talking 90 percent plus.”
“Obviously, we’ve got legal hurdles…in terms of how much we can vet the crowd while still complying with the law,” he added, referring to Australia’s Sex Discrimination Act, which prohibits exclusion based on gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
The Australian Human Rights Commission can grant temporary exemptions to the law, but it’s unclear whether the club would qualify.
The club owners were quickly roasted on social media over Pink Pony’s name and proposed door policy, with many calling it ironic and accusing the pair of being exclusionary.
“Appropriating lesbian culture for your own money/benefit for gay men,” wrote Heaps Gay, a queer events organizer, in response to the club owners’ post. “This had the potential to be so great for our community and for Oxford Street. Sad.”
Heaps Gay later addressed the controversy in its own Facebook post, calling the situation “disappointing” and labeling the Pink Pony owners “tone deaf.”
“Imagine calling it Pink pony club when the song clearly says ‘where boys and girls can all be queens every single day.’ They’ve really not read the room on this one,” one user responded.
“Gay guy misogyny is a helluva drug,” another user wrote in response to Heaps Gay.
Commenters on the owners’ since-deleted post were equally critical.
“So it’s gay men only, but the name of the club is a song by a female lesbian pop star? Oh, I fear they missed the mark with this one,” a user wrote.
“Why would you name a club after a hit song by a lesbian pop star, and it’s not a lesbian bar?” another user wrote.
This week, Du-Val and Lewis changed their social media handle to “new name coming soon” and posted an apology on the club’s Instagram page.
“Firstly we would like to sincerely apologise for any hurt or offense we have caused members of our extended LGBQTI+ family with the announcement of our upcoming project,” the post reads. “In hindsight, our communication was clumsy and very poorly worded. Clearly the choice of ‘Pink Pony’ as a name was also an error of judgement given Chappell Roan’s well deserved reverence with queer Women…. [W]e are sorry.”
The post reiterated that all members of the queer community will be welcome at the yet-to-be-named club. It emphasized that there was never an intention to impose a door policy excluding any group.
“In hindsight we can see how our nomination of a preferred mix was tone deaf and hurtful and once again we sincerely apologise,” the post concludes. “At the end of the day the vibe of venue and the music and those it resonates with will dictate the crowd. Everyone is just looking to find their tribe and a place to belong.”
A gay-owned ice cream shop displaying a large Pride flag outside was attacked twice in 24 hours by a man who hurled Molotov cocktails at the business.
Jason Fletcher, owner of Fletcher's Ice Cream & Café in Minneapolis, told NBC affiliate KTTC that employees had left just six minutes before the first attack, around 10:45 p.m. on Sunday, October 19. The suspect hurled a Molotov cocktail, shattering a window and igniting several chairs. Patrons at nearby Mac's Industrial Sports Bar helped extinguish the flames.
The second attack came just over 14 hours later, around 12:52 p.m. on Monday, when the shop was closed. This time, the Molotov cocktail created a larger hole in the window, but its wick fell out before the flames could reach inside. The fire scorched the sidewalk outside, leaving burn marks near several tables and chairs.
Four people are dead and at least 13 others injured after a street racer fleeing police lost control and crashed into a popular LGBTQ nightclub in Tampa, Florida.
Surveillance video from the club shows pedestrians running for safety as a silver Toyota Camry careens through an intersection and into a crowd of more than a dozen people outside Bradley's on 7th.
The crash occurred around 12:45 a.m. on Saturday, just 15 minutes before drag performers were scheduled to take the stage, according to the New York Post.
Two 20-year-old men have been accused of plotting a deadly terrorist attack in suburban Detroit, allegedly targeting several LGBTQ bars after purchasing high-powered weapons, stockpiling ammunition, and practicing at local gun ranges.
According to an FBI affidavit, Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, both 20 and from Dearborn, allegedly conspired with at least five unnamed individuals and a minor -- identified as "Person 1" -- to carry out an ISIS-inspired shooting attack on Halloween night. Prosecutors say Ali and Person 1 were to execute the assault while the others planned to travel to Syria to join Islamic State forces.
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