• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Politics
  • Health
  • Travel
  • Gay Pride
  • Music
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Gun Control
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Tech/Science
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox

Australian Gay Bar Wins Right to Ban Heterosexuals

Andy Towle May 29, 2007

Peel1

Tom McFeely, owner of the Peel Hotel in Melbourne, has won the right from an Australian tribunal to refuse entry to heterosexuals after arguing that an increasing number of straight people threatened the safety of his gay patrons.

According to Reuters, “McFeely said that, while the hotel welcomed everyone, its gay clientele had expressed discomfort over the number of heterosexuals and lesbians coming to the venue in the past year. He said there were more than 2,000 venues in Melbourne that catered to heterosexuals, but his hotel was the only one marketing itself predominantly to gay men.” Said Peel: “If I can limit the number of heterosexuals entering the Peel, then that helps me keep the safe balance.”

A tribunal agreed with Peel. Said Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal deputy president Cate McKenzie: [If heterosexual men and women came into the venue in large groups] this would undermine or destroy the atmosphere which the company wishes to create. Sometimes heterosexual groups and lesbian groups insult and deride and are even physically violent towards the gay male patrons. Some women even booked hens’ nights at the venue using the gay patrons as entertainment. To regard the gay male patrons of the venue as providing an entertainment or spectacle to be stared at, as one would at an animal at a zoo, devalues and dehumanises them. (This exemption) seeks to give gay men a space in which they may, without inhibition, meet, socialise and express physical attraction to each other in a non-threatening atmosphere.”

The decision has understandably created quite a bit of controversy. Said McFeely: “I was expecting some flak. But I did it to protect the integrity of the venue and to ensure the safety and comfort of my regular gay clientele.”

McFeely says that since the decision was handed down, the club has been receiving more threats than ever. McFeely: “The phone honestly hasn’t stopped ringing and that’s sad but it also in my head demonstrates the need for this type of thing, because there is still quite a bit of homophobia within the general community.”

Court Decision [read it]
Peel Hotel [official site]

Peels

Gay pub bars heterosexuals [tr]
Gay Australian pub wins right to ban straights [tr]

Related
Oh Really? Provincetown’s “New Intolerance” [tr]

Topics: News More Posts About: Australia, Australia, Melbourne, News, Nightlife

Related Posts
  • Russia Blocks Facebook, Accusing it of Restricting Access to Russian Media;
  • ‘Inside the Gay Prison Experiment’ — A ‘Queer Serial’ Audible Podcast — Is An Obsessed Quest For Info About The Anti-Gay Australian Govt. Campaign vs. “The Greatest Menace to Society: Homosexuality”
  • Swimmer Killed By 13ft Great White Shark In Australia: ‘Someone’s Just Been Eaten By A Shark’; First Shark Fatality in Sydney in 60 years
  • Jodie Foster lands first regular TV role in almost 50 years

    Jodie Foster lands first regular TV role in almost 50 years

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Jodie Foster is to star in season four of ‘True Detective’. The 59-year-old actress – who shot to fame as a child star in Disney hits such as ‘Freaky Friday’ and …Read More »
  • Monkeypox can be contained if we act now, WHO says

    Monkeypox can be contained if we act now, WHO says

    Published by Reuters By Mrinalika Roy and Emma Farge GENEVA (Reuters) -Countries should take quick steps to contain the spread of monkeypox and share data about their vaccine stockpiles, a senior World Health Organization official said …Read More »
  • As U.S. states restrict abortions, pro-choice lawmakers look to Mexico

    As U.S. states restrict abortions, pro-choice lawmakers look to Mexico

    Published by Reuters MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) – Pro-choice U.S. lawmakers visiting Mexico said Americans are turning to their southern neighbor to access abortions as some states tighten restrictions on the procedure and with the Supreme Court …Read More »
  • Country music stars distance themselves from NRA after school massacre

    Country music stars distance themselves from NRA after school massacre

    Published by AFP Country musician Lee Greenwood addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference 2022 in Orlando, Florida on February 27, 2022 New York (AFP) – Country music has long been closely linked to America’s pro-gun lobby, …Read More »
Previous Post: « Charles Nelson Reilly Dies at 76
Next Post: Tinky Winky Under Investigation by Polish Authorities »

Primary Sidebar

News

  • U.S. prosecutors get guilty verdict in Capitol riot case, extending win streak

    U.S. prosecutors get guilty verdict in Capitol riot case, extending win streak

  • Harrowing new accounts emerge from Uvalde’s young survivors

    Harrowing new accounts emerge from Uvalde’s young survivors

  • Russia steps up battle for eastern Ukraine

    Russia steps up battle for eastern Ukraine

  • Don McLean, Larry Gatlin Pull Out Of NRA Convention Concert In Texas

    Don McLean, Larry Gatlin Pull Out Of NRA Convention Concert In Texas

Break

  • Johnny Depp rumoured to be signed for ‘Beetlejuice 2’

    Johnny Depp rumoured to be signed for ‘Beetlejuice 2’

  • Abba ‘need to recoup £140m from digital show’ after splashing out on flashy Abba-tars from George Lucas firm

    Abba ‘need to recoup £140m from digital show’ after splashing out on flashy Abba-tars from George Lucas firm

  • Prince William holds future of British monarchy in his hands

    Prince William holds future of British monarchy in his hands

  • Justin Timberlake has sold his song catalogue in a deal reportedly worth 100 million dollars

    Justin Timberlake has sold his song catalogue in a deal reportedly worth 100 million dollars

RSS Partner Links

  • Mask4Masc
  • Jennifer Lopez wants to marry Ben Affleck this summer & she wants a big wedding
  • Dove Cameron Pays Tribute to Late Friend Cameron Boyce on His 23rd Birthday
  • Megan Thee Stallion Kicks Off the Weekend with Hot Yoga Class
  • Hilary Duff Shares Rare Comments About Co-Parenting Son Luca with Ex-Husband Mike Comrie
  • Bo Hopkins, 'American Graffiti' Actor, Passes Away at 80
  • OMG, have you heard? Ms. Juicy Baby released from hospital after stroke
  • Open Post: Hosted By The Man Who Paid Over $15,000 For A Realistic Dog Costume To Fulfill His Dream Of Becoming An Animal
  • Matthew Morrison Is Out As Judge On “So You Think You Can Dance” For Breaking Production Protocols

Most Recent

  • Italy Church’s limited sexual abuse investigation disappoints victims

    Italy Church’s limited sexual abuse investigation disappoints victims

  • Jodie Foster lands first regular TV role in almost 50 years

    Jodie Foster lands first regular TV role in almost 50 years

  • Monkeypox can be contained if we act now, WHO says

    Monkeypox can be contained if we act now, WHO says

  • As U.S. states restrict abortions, pro-choice lawmakers look to Mexico

    As U.S. states restrict abortions, pro-choice lawmakers look to Mexico

  • Country music stars distance themselves from NRA after school massacre

    Country music stars distance themselves from NRA after school massacre

  • Protests at NRA convention in Texas, but speakers reject new gun laws

    Protests at NRA convention in Texas, but speakers reject new gun laws

  • Portia De Rossi hails Ellen DeGeneres as her ‘idol’

    Portia De Rossi hails Ellen DeGeneres as her ‘idol’

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Log in