Canadian Woman Settles Complaint with Montreal Gay Bar

You may remember in May of last year I posted about Audrey Vachon, a Canadian woman who filed a complaint after being thrown out of Montreal's Le Stud bar because it has a "men only" policy.

The Canadian Press reports that the bar and Vachon have settled the discrimination complaint: "Bar Le Stud and Audrey Vachon, the 21-year-old woman who launched the complaint, agreed to keep the terms of the settlement confidential. Quebec's human rights commission says businesses have the right to attract a particular clientele but not to discriminate by excluding other customers. Vachon sat down at the bar with her father for an afternoon beer a year ago when staff told them women were not allowed. Le Stud owner Michel Gadoury said at the time women had been banned most nights since the bar opened 11 years ago."

Quebec on Alert After "Barbaric" Anti-Gay Beating

The victim of a vicious anti-gay attack in Quebec City on July 1 has come forward, the Canadian Press reports:

"Philippe, who did not release his last name, says four men with shaved heads followed him after he left the Le Drague gay bar in downtown Quebec City on July 1. After calling the 24-year-old man derogatory names, the assailants knocked him to the ground. In a melee lasting less than 60 seconds, the men punched and kicked him repeatedly. The victim spent two days in hospital and doctors needed eight screws to reassemble his jaw."

The attack has prompted gay rights groups to hold a brunch "to condemn homophobia" during upcoming gay pride festivities. The brunch will be held at a venue at Place d’Youville in Quebec City, where the man was targeted.

Said Olivier Poulin, president of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Quebec: "This man who was attacked is not alone. He has a community with him. He wanted to make sure other young people would not have to face attacks such as this. It’s very symbolic to hold [the meeting] a few steps from the (provincial) national assembly, a few steps from city hall and a few steps from where the young man was attacked."

Outgames AIDS Awareness Spot

COCQ, a Quebec-based AIDS awareness group, created this spot to run at the Montreal Outgames, instructing athletes to protect themselves during extracurriculars.

(possibly NSFW, and you also might want to turn your volume down before watching)

Club Unity Burns in Montréal

Montréal's largest gay club, Unity, was badly damaged by a fire that broke out on Friday when the nightclub was closed. Firefighters battled the blaze for four hours.

Fire Department Chief of Operations Michel Denis says the fire, which apparently began on a rooftop terrace, was "probably an accident." Employees of Unity watched Friday as their workplace burned. Said performer Mathieu Montpetit: "I was woken up today by a call from my manager telling me not to come to work tonight, so I came to see if it was really true."

The three-level nightclub sustained at least $1 million in damages.

Above photo by Yannick et Francis (flickr)