Discrimination by Adelaide Hotels

[Anonymous]

Hi Emily

Your tale sounds pretty sad and not an example of an enlightened age of acceptance and understanding. I am really sorry that you and your group had to suffer such outrageous behaviour, especially when it is expressed so openly (I guess open discrimination is better (but not much) than undercover discrimination).

Anyway, I think that your group has been the victims of discrimination and can lay a complaint under the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (SA). You can make a complaint to the Equal Opportunity Commissioner.

Here is a link to some advice as to how to go about making a complaint:

http://www.eoc.sa.gov.au/eo-you/making-complaint

Sometimes, making a complaint just makes matters worse (in the mind of the transgressor (no pun intended) the complaint merely justifies the discriminatory action that they took), but I think that if you choose to bring along someone who has some knowledge and expertise about gender identity issues, the business may get a better insight into the issues that your group faced, and amend its business practices.

More importantly, it gives your group a chance to work out a solution that will help both, your interests (going out and enjoying yourselves without aggravation) and the business’ interest (of not having any perceived conflict between customers). This may be achieved by assigning certain unisex or handicap toilets (like the ones in the function room upstairs if the function room is not being used) for your group’s use. Obviously, this is not an ideal solution and not recognition of the right for people to use the toilet that best represents their gender presentation, but sometimes, compromise is better than complete idealism.

I wish you all the best and hope that your actions open up this business for a better future for people like yourselves and others that may not necessarily belong to your group.

Virginia xo

[Anonymous]

Emily,

I was at the Carrousel meeting that decided to try the Gilbert and had it not been for a stomach problem I would have possibly have gone. What a shock! It tends to make you feel that you have been ostracised for the sake of it and there still remains a very biased attitude to anybody who doesn’t either fit the mould or is of such a minority that they cannot cause a problem for those who wish to discriminate. A very sad day indeed.

I will go back to Directors again because it has a lovely safe comfortable atmosphere.

Helen

[Anonymous]

While looking for another transgender interest, i came across this.
A GROUP of Adelaide cross-dressers says it is no longer welcome at its favourite hotel, after having been refused entry.

Despite drinking and dining regularly at the carnival-themed Boho Bar, on Unley Rd, for at least six months, members of Adelaide’s transgender community say management’s attitude has changed.

Two male cross-dressers in female clothing were refused entry to the bar in January. A customer, who contacted the Sunday Mail, said he witnessed a group of male cross-dressers “forcibly removed” in early February.

These reports followed an incident before Christmas in which another male cross-dresser in female clothing, and his wife, were directed to use the bar’s disabled toilet instead of the women’s facilities.

The new policy has stunned the “trannies”, who say the ban affected a night out in which some members of their party were seated inside and others were refused entry.

The Boho Bar, part of the Booze Brothers hotel chain, is a flamboyantly decorated and styled venue offering “elements of the circus, the old burlesque sideshows and classic, Bohemian cabaret theatres”, according to its website.

Male-to-female transgender retail worker Susan claimed she was made to feel “almost unclean” after she and cross-dressing friend Cherry were refused entry to The Boho Bar while out with three non-cross-dressing friends.

“Because we were the first two there, they pulled us aside and said, `I’m sorry, you’ve been refused entry’. We were like, `What for?’ ” Susan said.

“In my heart I knew what it was about, because us two were the only cross-dressed pair in the group; there was a guy and his wife and another guy – they were dressed as normal.”

Susan said her cross-dressing friends Sharyn and Heather were already inside but Sharyn was later prevented from returning when she went outside to meet the others.

Susan said she contacted Booze Brothers co-director Leon Saturno two days later seeking an explanation and was told there was a new policy that “no cross-dressers (would be) allowed anymore”.

Susan, of the southern suburbs, was adamant there had never been previous issues at the bar about the group’s dress.

She said she and her cross-dressing friends wore “appropriate” clothing: “We don’t dress like drag queens or anything like that,” she said. Sharyn, 53, said: “We had been going there for quite a while without any problems whatsoever.

“We never had any problems with the staff there or the patrons; actually, quite the contrary – we seemed to get along pretty well with some of the patrons there.”

Several weeks earlier, cross-dresser Roxxy said she was among a mixed group of male-female couples and transgender friends, when the bar’s security staff told her: “In future, you have to use the handicapped toilet.”

“I went into the ladies’ loo with my wife to do my lippy and powder my nose. She used the loo but I was outside touching up my makeup and stuff,” Roxxy said. “When we left the ladies’ loo, two security guys came up to us.”

Roxxy said they had “assumed” his wife was also a cross-dresser.

She said the bar should now display its entry conditions at the door. “If someone doesn’t want us in there, it doesn’t bother me; if they don’t want us in there, I don’t want to be there.”

Equal Opportunity Commissioner Linda Matthews said she was yet to receive a complaint but “on the face of it, this would meet the necessary criteria”.

“We would certainly take up a complaint; we would write to the club and ask them on what basis did they refuse entry to these people and see what they say,” she said.

“If it did come down to their chosen gender, they could find themselves in breach of the Equal Opportunity Act.” Mr Saturno did not wish to comment when contacted by the Sunday Mail.