Audrey Vachon filed a discrimination suit against Canadian bar Le Stud last year after the booted her for being a woman. Well, the two parties have reached a settlement, but neither will comment on the terms, nor will the bar comment on whether it’s eased its vaginal regulations, which a human rights commission encouraged it to do… [Montreal Gazette]
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Paul Raposo
I wonder how much money the stupid cow got from the bar:
http://queercandyapple.blog.com/1830597/#cmts
“My complaint has been heard by the Human Rights Commission who have agreed with my arguments. They will follow them up by granting me a public hearing. Unlike Audrey Vachon, who contacted Le Stud demanding money to drop her complaint, I will proceed with integrity. The bar, eager to resolve this in court, has declined Ms. Vachon’s request for a financial settlement.”
This man filed a complaint against Curves for denying him a membership as a protest against Ms. Vachon’s complaint
Paul Raposo
Intersting that the MSM never reported this tidbit:
H. S.
Montreal
“I was shocked to see this made the news, I work here! This story is so one-sided.
“The lady came in, women are welcome.
“The first thing she does, seconds after walking in, is demanding where the ladies washroom is. We don’t have one, so she tells my boss how she will sue us, and have us shut down. My boss told her she may use the private staff restroom in the staff area.
“She refused, and demanded a ladies washroom, be built, right then!!!
“It was crazy, she was with an older man, who was name calling some staff, then they were asked to leave.
“I hope there is more investigation, there are ladies at this bar everynight. It is true we have just one restroom, but always have.”
http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourview/canada/2007/05/montreal_woman_refused_service.html
But I guess it’s a moot point now
Jon
We should all be able to go where we want, but why is it so important for some people to make a point of going where they aren’t wanted and then complain about how they’re treated? Why would you want to patronize an establishment if they don’t want you there? That can’t be a pleasant experience.
hells kitchen guy
Good for her! I’m sick and tired of gay bars & clubs discriminating against women. It happens all the time.
SPOT
Frankly, I don’t think any of those comments in “#2” sound believable at all.
And good for her. Even if she did it deliberately, discrimination is still wrong. It’s a bar. Get over it.
I hope she got a lot and I hope that bar learned its lesson.
foofyjim
Funny. I’ve experienced more lesbian bars that ban men or require that each man be accompanied by a woman than gay bars that ban women. More often gay bars don’t ban women, they just don’t provide seperate bathrooms.
John
Those comments in #2 are not true.
The girl sat down with her father on the outside terrace in mid-afternoon. Neither of them knew or cared that it was a gay bar. The waiter speaking to her father told them that they could not or would not serve women. It was bar policy.
It’s a pity that it was not decided by a hearing.
This type of agreement provides no clear answer on what the law is. Even Canada’s mainly conservative National Post printed an editorial saying there could be justification for male-only gay space.
It should be interesting to see what happens now to the Gay Village’s two main strip bars. They have women’s nights once a week, and the bar atmosphere changes completely with the gay-for-pay dancers paying attention to the female clients.
Paul Raposo
John and SPOT, if that bar employee’s statement is not true, then why did this appear in the Montreal Gazette:
Gay bar settles complaint
Jason Magder, The Gazette
Published: Tuesday, April 29
Le Stud, a bar on St. Catherine St. East and Papineau Ave., looked like any typical watering hole earlier afternoon.
About a dozen patrons were milling about, some at the bar, others at the pool table and video lottery machines. However, something distinguished Le Stud from many others: its only bathroom, with urinals and toilet stalls suggest it is for men only.
http://tinyurl.com/5ztbyg
Why mention no womens toilet in the bar, if this punitive complaint had nothing to do with that? We only heard one side of this story and it was Ms. Vachon’s side
SPOT
Uh, they have stalls right? How much could it cost to put doors on them?
Besides, eww, that’s gross if they don’t have doors on them.
I see nothing in that article proving, or even mentioning, that she behaved in that way, or said any of those things in post #2.
Sorry, no dice.
John
Paul, the story was reported in full detail in 2007 when it occurred. The reporting then was done extensively by Montreal and Canadian media – print, television, and radio – in both languages, and gave all sides an opportunity to talk.
Just two examples in print:
CTV
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070530/gay_bar_070530/20070530?hub=TopStories
Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/219794
The Gazette reporter is trying to suggest that nothing seems to have changed in an article which seems to be more filler than anything else since no one would talk to him.
Paul Raposo
“Sorry, no dice”
Clearly, you’ve formed your opinion, SPOT, so no amount of evidence will alter your views.
Paul Raposo
“The reporting then was done extensively by Montreal and Canadian media – print, television, and radio – in both languages, and gave all sides an opportunity to talk.”
Yes, John, I know. I followed the story in all those mediums. But only the Gazette printed comments–not quotes–from Le Stud owner. The great majority of news items were quoting both Vachons; with both even doing radio and television interviews. No such offer was made to Michel Gadoury. Hell, in the Star article, they don’t even mention the bar owners first name, only present him as “Gadoury.”
Clearly this woman is another Camille Paglia–a feminist who hates gay men.
And I notice only one blogger ever mentioned her demands for money to drop the complaint. That is called extortion. But I guess it’s ok if you’re a straight female–a minority which makes up 95% of the population and 53% of the population respectively
JRQC1951
What was reported was that this was resolved through mediation. Both sides agreed to the final agreement. The mediator works for the Quebec Human Rights Commission. There was no extortion.
Is the Commission also anti-gay, or are they all gay hating feminists?
There may be any number of valid arguments as to why this decision is wrong, but name calling and blaming the complainant for asking that Quebec Human Rights law be applied seems in pretty poor taste.
Paul Raposo
No, JRQC1951, what is in poor taste is demanding a gay cruise bar install a woman’s toilet, when one was apparently never needed for 11 years prior; name calling bar staff; filing a human rights complaint; trying to extort money from the bar owner to drop the complaint; being a majority, yet trying to prsent yourself as a maligned minority; and then doing a media blitz to paint yourself as a victim.
The bar has had women’s nights for over a decade; many bloggers talked about going there AT NIGHT either with female friends, or seeing women at the bar, so obviously kicking out Ms. Vachon was an exception, not the rule. So what then did she do to get herself kicked out?
Clearly Ms. Vachon realized she had no case here. The Quebec HRC mediated–did not make a ruling–on this case, which is not a normal occurence. So what came out in the mediation that caused a draw, rather than a victory?
She and her father were looking to stir the shit and thought they had an easy target. Mr Gadoury fought back, rightfully so
Paul Raposo
Here’s a link where the writer claims the bar had to pay compensation to Ms. Vachon. The only article that backs up the claim, makes no such claim. I’ve emailed the site to find out how they got this info.
http://w5.montreal.com/mtlweblog/2008/04/woman-paid-compensation-by-gay-bar.html
I guess it was all about money, then.
Paul Raposo
Here’s a blog post that shows that not only are women present at Le Stud, but they’re cruising each other:
“As per usual, the crowd was mainly male however a decent selection of women were at the pool tables and chatting at the bar.”
http://auditioninglocaltalent.blogspot.com/2007/11/ladies-at-le-stud.html
The post is dated Nov 7, 2007, six months after Ms. Vachon’s human rights complaint.
So again, what did Ms. Vachon do to get herself and her old man tossed out?
Paul Raposo
Here’s a blog post that shows that women are not only at Le Stud, but are cruing each other:
“As per usual, the crowd was mainly male however a decent selection of women were at the pool tables and chatting at the bar.”
http://tinyurl.com/53zug8
This post is dated November 2007, six months after Ms, Vachon’s punitive human rights compalint.
So again, what did she do to get herself tossed?
Sydney
@hells kitchen guy: The difference between a Fag and a man who is Gay is the girls he identifies with. Fag with their fag hags have reduced the gay world to a flock of screaming bitches. It was a club for Men. You probably don’t know what a man is but Stud was a place where men could be in the company of masculine men of like mind. Now that fags and their hags go there, the established clientele is gone and the bar is dying along with your shallow empty mind and heart. You go girl! God forbid a man who infiltrate a woman’s group or private club. They would scream sexual harassment. By the way Miss Audrey did not receive a cent. Oh she tried but the ruling was against her. She now lives a small life working a McDonald. What goes around comes around.
Sydney
JT
I think that straight people should stay out of GLBT bars and dance clubs.
Like the author of this post I have seen GLBT bars that are great completely ruined by bachlorette parties, drunk and loud/aggressive fag hags, and straight women who want to find a gay or bisexual man or watch us.
I’ve been around straight women in gay/GLBT bars and clubs who acted shocked when they saw two men kiss.
I do not have ANY issues with the Stud being a men’s only bar and banning women from it. I wish more bars for bisexual and gay men would do this.
I’ve known about Lesbian or bars/clubs for bisexual and lesbian women where men are not allowed in yet nobody calls this discrimination or some grandiose accusation of an actual violation of human rights.
jason
No bar should be allowed to discriminate based on prejudice.