This month’s Cincinnati Guerrilla Queer Bar event took place at Million’s, sibling bar to Mount Lookout Tavern. Not unlike queerings past, women were allowed to dance on the stage or poles but men were not, resulting in the use of force against a gay man.
Many men were asked to leave the stage and were pulled down by a bouncer. Some tried to resist, but it wasn’t until a pair refused to leave the stage that the situation began to escalate, as evidenced in the video below.
The man was escorted out of the bar, but was quickly allowed back in by the manager, giving the man and his companion complimentary shots. After this, no more men were escorted off the women-only dancing stage.
When questioned, a man who identified himself as one of the managers of the bar said, “It is just the policy of bars in this area [to not allow men on the stage].”
That translates to, “The stage is reserved for the objectification of women.”
Bouncer slams gay man at straight bar
14 Comments
November 7, 2009 at 10:37 am
Jaime— thank you so much for posting this. We’ll be giving each bar a letter after queer bar that outlines for them how they could become a more queer friendly establishment. This will be great evidence to include. You’re the best.
November 7, 2009 at 11:48 am
Hey Ethan & Jamie..Thanks for posting the video. I still cannot believe the way I was handled, simply for dancing? Deplorable…
November 7, 2009 at 1:50 pm
This is AWFUL. Thank you for posting Jamie.
November 7, 2009 at 6:13 pm
The manager told me, and the guy who was escorted, that men were not allowed to dance on stage because the stripper poles could not support their weight.
Even if this were true, a weight restriction should be set in place instead of a gender restriction.
And again, the DJ felt obliged to announce to everyone that the bouncer was “just doing his job, guys.” So, like, chill out, bros.
November 9, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Really?????!!!!!!???? I cannot believe they said there was a weight restriction on the stripper poles, because right after that boy was pushed off stage, my fat ass ran up there and jumped on that stripper pole and remained there for several seconds. Also, I am pretty sure I was all over the stripper pole more than one time!!!!! I am so glad they are trying to cover their butts by saying that! Oh well….now i know, from experience, the truth of the weight restriction!
November 8, 2009 at 1:03 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Queer SQPNTK, Queer SQPNTK. Queer SQPNTK said: Bouncer uses unnecessary force to remove gay man at guerrilla queer bar http://tinyurl.com/yk7pozl [...]
November 9, 2009 at 9:01 pm
When a bouncer tells you to do something don’t be a dick. Guerrilla queer bar is supposed to be about showing straight bars that gay and straight people can have fun together, not raid an establishment and act like entitled bitches.
Bitching about petty shit like this doesn’t help get straight people on our side, it just makes them think that we’re all prissy entitled fags.
November 9, 2009 at 10:26 pm
So do they weigh fat chicks before allowing them to dance?
November 10, 2009 at 6:28 am
I assume there is a law that the stage is for performers only, and the general pulic is not covered by the bar’s insurance to be on the state at all. MOST bars and clubs keep customers off the performance stages.
Grow up people.
November 10, 2009 at 9:07 am
Ya know what these guerrilla bar take overs are ridiculous! Let the straight people have there straight bars. Going in there and doing that kind of sh_t is looking for trouble.
November 10, 2009 at 10:06 am
Definitely sucks how the guy was treated, but it would have happened whether he were gay or straight.
Is the stage for the objectification of women? Yes. For the disenfranchisement of gay men? No.
November 10, 2009 at 5:18 pm
There was a very long conversation by the bouncer with both the guy in the beard and the guy who was pushed. Obviously they were being warned about something and the attitude of both was dismissive and seems a bit taunting. This is a private establishment. This type of establishment is used to dealing with the hard headedness that alcohol causes on people and they have to act before worse things happen. Just because they are gay does not mean that they automatically deserve support of everyone who is gay. We are not cattle.
November 12, 2009 at 6:51 pm
I don’t see what’s wrong with this. He wasn’t kicked off because he was gay, he was kicked off because he was a man. His orientation had nothing to do with it. Is it right to allow just women on the pole? Well, it’s a straight bar, meaning that their clientele would much rather appreciate seeing women on the pole, not men. I don’t think straight women are interested in seeing men dance on poles. We shouldn’t introduce homophobia where it isn’t the issue. The issue here is running a business, and exploiting straight men’s sexual lust.
November 30, 2009 at 2:47 am
Adam – That’s an assumption that you shouldn’t be making about women because it further objectifies them as objects knowing what’s best for them.
The issue is with masculinity and men using force to get what they want. Since nobody speaks up, it is perpetuated and exacerbated.
The stage should be free for all to dance on no matter the gender or sexual orientation. Simple.