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.”
Seattle's local organizing committee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is moving ahead with a first-of-its-kind "Pride Match" at Lumen Field on June 26, coinciding with the city's Pride Weekend, even though the scheduled game will feature Iran and Egypt, two countries that criminalize homosexuality.
The Pride-adjacent branding was created by the host city, not FIFA, the governing body of international soccer, which has not endorsed the designation.
When FIFA was planning the match schedule, Seattle was in line to host either New Zealand versus Belgium or Egypt versus Iran on June 26. Vancouver ultimately received the New Zealand-Belgium game, leaving Seattle with Egypt versus Iran, reports Outsports.
A masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a queer woman in Minneapolis after opening fire through the window of her SUV during a confrontation in the street.
Video footage posted online shows two masked ICE officers approaching a Honda Pilot stopped in the middle of Portland Avenue near 34th Street in Minneapolis' Powderhorn neighborhood. One agent can be heard yelling at the SUV's driver -- later identified as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good -- telling her to "get out of the fucking car" while attempting to open the driver's door, as a second officer stands back.
The city of St. Petersburg has installed 11 rainbow-colored bike racks in response to the removal of several street murals -- including a Pride-themed mural -- by the Florida Department of Transportation.
The racks were installed in the Grand Central District at Central Avenue and 25th Street, the former location of one of five murals removed at the direction of federal and state authorities.
The mural at Central Avenue and 25th Street featured colored stripes representing the progressive Pride flag and was located just steps from Ride'em Cowboy, one of the city’s best-known LGBTQ nightclubs and a "safe space" for the community, according to Florida Politics.
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