A Sydney nightclub whose name was inspired by a lesbian artist despite “predominantly” targeting gay men has been forced to change its name after attracting a swift and “passionate” backlash.
Pink Pony was set to open on Oxford Street in Sydney’s LGBTQ+ heartland in early December. Kevin Du-Val, the owner of Palms on Oxford nightclub, and its manager, Michael Lewis, announced via social media their new venture was “unashamedly inspired by its namesake song that resonates so profoundly within our community”.
Pink Pony Club is a song by lesbian singer-songwriter, Chappell Roan, who said she co-wrote the piece after visiting The Abbey gay bar in West Hollywood, which welcomes all genders and sexual orientations.
But news of the Sydney club was met with criticism when it emerged its “preferred clientele” was young gay men.
“In line with our experience and our passion PINK PONY is being created specifically for 18-35 (state of mind) Gay men who love to dance and get sweaty to high powered dance music in a safe space that is theirs to enjoy,” the club’s operators said via social media.
Lewis told Gay Sydney News on Sunday – which reported that Du-Val is aged 80 – that “girls will be welcome, but it would certainly be our desire that it is predominantly gay boys, and when I say predominantly, I’m sort of talking 90% plus”.
“Obviously we’ve got legal hurdles … in terms of how much we can vet the crowd while still complying with the law,” he said.
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In a since-deleted comment on Instagram, as reported by Gay Sydney News, Pink Pony added: “Hopefully all gay venues are accepting of the full spectrum of our community, we are just being honest and open about our reason for being and our target demographic and preferred clientele.”
In response, Heaps Gay said via Instagram the move was “so disappointing and tone deaf and actually fked. Appropriating lesbian culture for your own $/benefit for gay men!! What??”
Another user wrote: “So it’s gay men only, but the name of the club is a song by a female LESBIAN pop star? Oh I fear they missed the mark with this one!!!!”
Among hundreds of comments, one stated the news was “horrible and just embarrassing”, while another encouraged Chappell Roan to sue.
Early on Tuesday afternoon, Pink Pony’s Instagram account was wiped, with a “new name coming” holding page showing in its place.
Lewis confirmed the venue’s name was to be changed.
“We acknowledge and respect the very passionate feedback from the wider community and it is clear that it’s best to move forward with a different name for the new venue,” he told Guardian Australia.
That development, too, was criticised, with one Instagram user summing up the mood: “lol imagine renaming ur club instead of being more inclusive.”
It was unclear how the venue – no matter its branding – might police admission without breaching discrimination laws.
Exclusion from a venue based on a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation may amount to unlawful discrimination under the Sex Discrimination Act (SDA), unless that discrimination can be shown to substantively improve equality for a historically marginalised group.
The Australian Human Rights Commission referred Guardian Australia to previous interpretations of the SDA.
Melbourne’s Peel hotel is an example of a pub that was granted an exemption to discriminate under Victorian state law as a means to help gay men achieve equality, while McIver’s Ladies Baths in Coogee was in 1995 granted a similar exemption, allowing it to exclude men.
Equality Australia’s CEO, Anna Brown, said it was “not unusual for venues to shape their branding or atmosphere to appeal to certain groups, but as long as the space is genuinely open to everyone and no one is being turned away because of who they are, it’s unlikely to lead to any complaints.
“And, let’s be honest, if you call your club Pink Pony and give a nod to Chappell Roan, you’re basically rolling out the glitter carpet for lesbians, queers and trans people.”
Chappell Roan was contacted for comment.
