If you've been following the queer news scene mighty closely, you may have come across a story of a gay bar in San Francisco called Badlands accused of discrimination against black patrons. The story blew up last summer while I was in the city, and a friend of mine was taking part in the organizing for "And Castro For All" - the group that has brought the complaints against the bar (they were originally named "Is Badlands Bad?" - but renamed themselves to broaden their mission).
Today the San Francisco Board of Supervisors issued a resolution advising city agencies to penalize the club for acts of discrimation - such as denying black patrons entry into the club, requiring multiple forms of ID, etc. This unfortunately came as little surprise to me. I've seen it doen - MANY times - here in Raliegh at Legends Nightclub. When I've seen it, it hasn't just been against black men, but also against women and older gay men.
Other San Francisco gay men I've spoken with about the issue don't deny the problem and say that it's location in the Castro, the historically gay neighborhood of San Fran, is no coincidence. The area is primarily filled with 30-something gay white men who can afford to pay the neighborhood's ridiculously high rents. This is the same neighborhood whose neighborhood council just a few years back voted against the building of a neighborhood queer youth shelter. What was once a tight-knit community of LGBT people supporting one another has now clearly transformed into something else entirely.
Unfortunately, the SF Board of Supervisors has no jurisdiction to actually penalize the club. Their resolution will now be considered by state agencies like the Dept. of Alcoholic Beverage Control who can decide to issue a warning or go so far as to revoke the club's liquor license. My vote: revoke it. Take a strong stance to say that the city is committed to fairness and equality and won't tolerate this kind of discrimination. I'm doubtful that the city will take such a stance, but we will soon find out.
On a positive note, "And Castro For All" has taken their momentum from this case and turned it into providing a discrimination hotline for SF Residents. Check out their website (link below) to read more. You can also read the personal accounts of discrimination involved in the Badlands case.
Links:
365Gay.com Article
And Castro For All Website