Gay Clubs are a drinking establishment which are marketed towards the LGBT+ community. Sorry to shock anyone, but this isn’t a place for heterosexual people to take their bridesmaids on a night-out to gawp at same-sex kissing.
“The [heterosexual] girls go to a LGBT club and start to look at us like they are in the zoo, admiring the new species they’ve found, and commenting on any action they see” – Omar Baldé, a regular to the gay clubbing scene in London.
Gay Clubs are not zoos and it is apparent that the purposes of these venues are being lost. These venues are predominantly for the LGBT+ community. And as expressed by Dan Seamarks, Vice President of Harrow at The University of Westminster, the worst thing about Gay Clubs are “people who go but don’t respect the community.”
This is not to say Gay Clubs are dismissing heterosexual people from entry as Dan too believes that “heterosexual people should be able to enjoy the venues too, as long as they are respectful of the LGBTI+ community” But they are owed far more respect than they’re getting.
Gay Clubs are an important part of the LGBTI+ community as everyone has the right to be in a place they feel safe and catered for. Such safe spaces need to remain intact and not be diminished by the narrow-minded. As stated by Eve Maleham, Society President of UWSU LGBTI SOCIETY: “Queer clubs, bars and venues, give a space for queer people to socialise and meet each other without having to worry about homophobia. They started out as a refuge for queer people to go, and from there we got the Stonewall Riots, and it’s still important that we have that space that’s our own. “
Gay Clubs need to be respected and a reality check is in order. You are not Carrie Bradshaw from Sex in The City nor are you clever for attempting to ‘turn’ a lesbian woman. It’s highly offensive. And Eve has been witness to such behaviour “I’ve known straight men to go into bars just to harass queer women.”
She continues to say “heterosexual people can come to gay bars and clubs if they want to, however it’s important for them to understand that it isn’t a space for them. I’ve seen straight women go into gay bars and be shocked that a lesbian tries to talk with them. It’s not a place for them, and I really resent the entitlement that people like them have. “
Gay Clubs are not the place for heterosexual females to relive a romantic comedy they saw where a homosexual wipes their tears and tells them they’re pretty after a break-up. And they really ought not to be shocked when a lesbian tries to talk to them…do you know where you are?
So, before you enter a Gay Club, respect the motive it serves and the people it caters for. It is not a tourist attraction.
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