Subscribe to Breaking NewsRuby-Sachs: ID That Matches Your Gender?
The recent story about a Chicago gay bar that is requiring patrons to have an I.D. that matches the outward gender expression of the individual made my chin drop. If you read down a bit you realize that this insane tactic was put in place to deter transvestite prostitutes from meeting clients at the bar.
Well.
If your bar was a meeting place for female prostitutes would you decide all females were banned from entering in order to curb the problem?
Not likely.
This policy is based on ridiculous logic. The idea that there is some inherent risk of prostitution in a gay bar that is more open to cross-dressing clients is ludicrous. Likely, prostitutes use the bar as a meeting place because the security in the bar is less rigorous than other places. And/or it’s the only gay bar around (Chicago suburbs are not known for their plethora of gay-friendly establishments).
If identifying prostitutes is difficult, get more security. Plan a sting operation. Get on Craigslist and report the ads that identify your bar.
Don’t target a population that already faces discrimination from most drinking establishments.
This is ridiculous! I agree with the idea that the implementation of identification that matches the outward gender expression of an individual is just another way for the police and ABC officers to discriminate against individuals and establishments that cater towards alternative lifestyles. The Chicago area bar is trying to cut down on the number of transgender prostitutes that use the bar as a meeting place, but they are approaching the issue in a ‘separate-but-equal-segregation’-esque way that is only barely still legal.
I agree that the bar should hire more security, or enhance their existing security, instead of banning a whole group of people that want the same things as everyone else – to be able to walk into the local bar and have a beer without harassment.
ummmm. that is kinda messed up. this whole thing kinda reeks of the stonewall riots. It was funny that out of all the gay patrons arrested and held captive in the bar in 1969, only the bar staff (three drag queens)and the two male to female transgenders were charged and escorted to jail.Simply because they were the only ones who could be easily identified as “homosexual”. face it, we haven’t really come so far. we still feel that if you are going against the gender binary and you wear you’re sexual orientation on your sleeve(or sequined strap) that you are an easier target to pinpoint with homosexual behavior (which is obviously deviant!)transgenders are the whipping boys (and girls) of the gay community. until we all learn to accept them as a relevant and necessary part of our community, how can we expect the heteronormative close-minded others to? maybe this horrid incident had to occur as walk up call to the rest of the lgb community that some of us take our one up in assimilation to lightly, simply because we have the ability to chose when to blend and when to bold. feels like it’s time to make a little noise…
Emma..you are way off on this one. Having worked for the California Alcoholic Beverage Control Dept. for several years, I want you to know, that ANY ABC dept is looking for ways to shut down a gay bar and/or take away it’s liquor license. Straight bars, when they have troubles with prostitutes, it comes down to two things. Either the public is making numerous complaints to the police or the ABC, or the bar owner makes complaints. Now, with a straight bar, usually the police look the other way, and when an arrest is made, yes a copy of the arrest report is sent to the ABC in the locale, but it is often overlooked, until a large number of complaints/arrests are made. However, with a gay bar, it does not take much. The bar owner is ONLY trying to save his license and his business. If transvestite prostitutes are advertising on the internet, or Craig’s list, what can he do? If he tries to do something, then it is a violation of “free speech”!..I have to side with the bar owner. Granted, his recourse is very strict and may not be totally correct for ACLU. BUT, the matter is he is trying to save his livelihood which is only fair. Don’t even bring up the matter of a “sting” as who do you think would perform this “sting”????….obviously, either the police or ABC detectives and if the police are involved, they send copies of their arrest reports to the ABC for their records. And for this, need I bring up the most recent info on 365 regarding gay bar arrests and raids? When the ABC receives enough copies of arrest records, or copies of disturbances at a location that has a liquor license, and especially a gay bar, then it is only a matter of time before that license gets reviewed at renewal time, and could be canceled. Rather than condemning the owner, why not try to see if there is a way to help him as he definitely has a problem and it appears that he is grasping at straws, so to speak, and is in need of some help…legal or otherwise.
Where are all the people calling for a boycott of this establishment? We need to fight discrimination in all forms, not just that which directly affects us.
I had a hard time keeping the coffee from coming out of my nose when I read how “This is going to hurt his business” Yeah! I feel really bad for him that he is forced into such a tough choice.