Carlos, I'm astounded! Don't blame it on your nationality, but on being your first year in a foreign country. I'm Spanish too, but I know what a courtyard party is. :oP It's basically an open air piss up, hun. You have the same drinks, just with no ceiling above your head. :oP
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davidx wrote: Please note that a strict gay-only policy will be operating on the door.
Is segregation really the way to go? I know gay people are a minority group, but face it, it's not gay-only for any purpose other than to attract more gayers and line the pockets of marketing folk everywhere.
Death to an inclusive scene, then. Eh. It's not like I'd pay £5 to go anyway.
ChrisH wrote: I still don't know how they can tell exactly the gay and straight ones apart! Seems very unfair to me... maybe we should complain?
Such policies are kind of stupid. There are two approaches.
1. Ask people whether they're gayers. Obviously people will say, "yes," unless they're not aware that the venue is a gay club, or they're being dragged against their will so this will only root out people who don't want to be there in the first place, or some naive fresher from CU who thinks Mission is a Christian nightclub.
2. Assume people are gay based on appearances, which reinforces the very prejudices we've been fighting against. While some people do play up to stereotypes, very few people can tell someone's sexuality by giving them the quick once-over. Should we go back to looking camp (men) or butch (ladies) just so we can have a night out? Heck no.
Then again, if it's Mission they'll probably admit people based solely on the trail of white powder emenating from their noses.
The one and only time I went to mission I got told by the bouncer after he tried putting his hands up my shirt that 'it's a gay bar you know'. So if they do it by looks then I'm out.
i´d like to point out that i´ve been refused from QC on several occasions for apparently "not being gay"...even though i was snogging a guy i was seeing seconds before hand...
i understand the need for an exclusive scene because to be fair, the whole point about going to a gay ngiht is to have fun and probably get off with the cute guy on the dancefloor, which gets harder the more straight people there are...segregation policies aren´t nice, and are inherently unfair, but then is it really fair that straight people flood our safe spaces (safe for some of us anyway...)?
sash xxx
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chemicalfears wrote: but then is it really fair that straight people flood our safe spaces (safe for some of us anyway...)?
sash xxx
As long as they're respectful and don't treat it like a novelty night out or a spectacle, I really don't see any problem with straight people going to places like Mission. I doubt anyone views Mission as a safe space, really, so I don't see why they're bothering with a gay-only door policy. (Except, ooh, to keep out people they don't like the look of on a purely subjective basis.)
With regards to safe spaces, I doubt you'd get many straight people turning up to men-only/women-only nights.
AliceH wrote: As long as they're respectful and don't treat it like a novelty night out or a spectacle,
...Well, I think you hit the nail on the head there, and the fact is that a lot, if not the vast majority, of straight people do, treat it like a novelty unless they're there with mates who happen to be gay/bi etc. How many times have we seen gaggles of straight girls/hen parties generally making a nuisance of themselves?
AliceH wrote: (Except, ooh, to keep out people they don't like the look of on a purely subjective basis.)
...Which is another good point. It's a nice pretext for a bouncer to refuse entry to someone they think looks unfriendly/threatening/loutish/too drunk already , and it beats the excuse of "you're not allowed to wear trainers here".
I'm all for an inclusive scene, but only if it attracts people who are themselves willing to be included, rather than treat a gay club like a trip to the zoo. Having people laughing at you and taking the piss out of you for being gay, in a gay club, isn't fun and I find it unacceptable. I've actually experienced that as well.
At the same time, if 'Da Str8z' are simply out for a good night out, then of course that's great - I've brought straight mates to Poptastic manchester, who had such a good time they ended up being allowed memberships there. ....To be fair, the bloke did look a bit fey though....
