Update (6/6/2019 3 p.m. EST): JR’s Bar has released a statement on the incident below.
Last night, Dallas, Texas resident Daniel Heredia posted a video showing his trans female friend Blair Jirousek being kicked out of JR’s, one of the largest gay bars on the city’s gay strip, for seemingly no reason.
In a public Facebook post, Heredia wrote that when he, Jirousek and another friend walked up to the bar to order drinks, the bartender (who was also the manager on duty) asked for their IDs and then studied only Jirousek’s intently before handing it back and saying that he wouldn’t serve them.
Heredia wrote:
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“When we asked for an explanation he wouldn’t give us one. He wouldn’t even bother talking to us or explaining. Nothing. Blair is 23. Her ID is real but has her boy name on it since she has not been able to legally change it yet. All of her cards have the same name on it. Everything in her wallet points to her being a real person. We tried explaining that and CARTER [the manager] had no interest in even trying to listen. It all felt like it stemmed from transphobia.”
The group stayed and watched the drag show to support some of the performers, but Heredia says when another friend joined them and later walked over to a different bartender to get a drink, the manager walked over and told the bartender not to serve them because he was socializing with the trans person that he had turned away. Heredia claims the manager then had security throw out the entire group.
Heredia wrote:
“The security guard M. LOZANO came over and also would not give us a single reason as to why we were getting kicked out. We told him we thought it had to do with Blair’s ID and gave it to verify that it was not a fake. After he studied it thoroughly his reaction changed because he knew it was real but his exact words were ‘the manager said you HAD to leave’ again not because of a fake ID but because of…? What?
The way the security guard M. LOZANO handled the situation was also very unprofessional. There are several times he puts his hands on Blair even shoving her so far she fell to the ground.
Here are videos of the group being kicked out and the security guard shoving Jirousek:
Heredia wrote that the group alerted the police who verified Jirousek’s ID was real. When the police arrived, the bar’s manager allegedly demanded that the cops issue Jirousek a felony “criminal trespassing” citation. While the cops declined the request, they did tell the group that if they tried to enter the bar again, they’d be arrested because the manager of an establishment has the right to refuse service to anyone even without a valid reason.
Heredia concluded, “Transphobia is not okay. This is Pride month and we should be accepting of all genders and sexual preferences, uplifting our community not tearing it down. It’s sad that a place I have grown to love and appreciate is supporting people that have nothing better to do with their time than hate.”
Last year, JR’s kicked out celebrity Tamar Braxton for violating the bar’s dress code when she tried to bring a backpack into the club. The bar has since racked up several negative Facebook reviews for its treatment of Jirousek.
We reached out to the bar for a statement. It has said that it has fired the manager who refused to serve the trans customer and has “reached out to the private security company that employees the security officer in question … to resolve that situation today, as well.” The bar also said it will train all employees to ensure that an incident like this doesn’t happen again in the future.
Here’s the bar’s full statement so far:
Early this morning, we were notified of an incident that occurred at JR’s Bar & Grill last night involving a staff member and several of our patrons. While our employees take every measure to ensure the safety of both staff and patrons, any actions that are deemed contra to our beliefs and values as a company will not be tolerated.
After reviewing the situation and gathering statements from the parties involved, the company has chosen to terminate the employee in question effective immediately.
We are against discrimination of any kind, and work diligently with all employees to ensure that our bar is a welcoming space for everyone to celebrate. We respect and value people from all communities and will continue to advocate for diversity and inclusivity.
Jared MacBride
I’ll wait to hear all sides of the story before giving this any thought. In many places bars can be closed for serving people whose ID does not match their appearance. A gay bar in Texas has pretty good reaosn to be on high alert.
Loki
I’m sure they’ve had undercover police officers in there trying to get their liquor license revoked.
SheaLaRoux
They just gave you all sides to the story. Employees were fired for good reason.
Josh447
For some people transgen is just too far off the beaten path, too far off a stretch to get their heads around. They never will get it or accept it. So is gay for that matter. But this happening on a drag show night? Kind of ironic.
iamru2
There is zero evidence that her being trans had anything to do with her getting thrown out!
Loki
They were being rude and argumentative after the transgender’s ID was rejected. They were kicked out of the bar for being a public nuisance/disturbance. I see nothing to be outraged over.
Cam
Everybody notice how the same account that always defends anti-LGBT bigots (@iamru2) is now lying and trying to claim that the trans person was not the victim.
Funny how the bar acknowledged the incident and fired the person for EXACTLY what you said didn’t happen.
Wicked Dickie
I used to live in Dallas. Haven’t been to JR’s in years. They used to be a very diverse and welcoming bar, but in the last few years, if you are not a certain “hue”, you’re not welcome there. If the “Straight Pride Parade” was being held in Dallas, JR’s would sponsor it.
Mikey E
That comment makes no sense. The person getting ejected is white. So are you saying they are an anti-white bar? And even if they were, what does that have to do with straight pride? You are completely incoherent.
Wicked Dickie
1. Click on the link in the story about Tamar Braxton’s encounter at JR’s, and 2. I am saying that JR’s IS NOT welcoming to ALL the gay community in Dallas. I lived in Dallas for years, I know this establishment.
Loki
@WickieDickie
“…JR’s IS NOT welcoming to ALL the gay community in Dallas.”
Tamar isn’t gay and neither is the person in this article.
Franklin
@Loki Of course you sould see discrimination against people of color in a gay bar as not a problem at all. It seems like this bar has had problems for a while, and it appears that the higher ups agreed because they let the two people involved in this incident go. No do you have other input on the sitution or do you want to continue to be loud and wrong?
Loki
@Franklynn
Of course, they were fired. The transgenders set the internet hounds on them.
Franklin
Or just maybe, the business realized that these guys were wrong. You know there is help out there for your unhealthy negative fixation of transgender people. You should seek it.
Mikey E
Transgenders bring nothing but strife and trouble where ever they go. Why would they even want to hang around a gay bar in the first place? It is because they feel entitled to everything that LGB people own, including our identity and our spaces.
Franklin
They want to hang out at a gay bar because they are part of the LGBT community. Next question?
Loki
@Frankie-Lynn
A gay bar isn’t a free-for-all. It’s a place where adult human males who are sexually attracted to other adult human males seek each other’s company. Not a place for transgenders to stand around and ogle.
micahb
Wow. What an ignorant response. I can’t believe I’m reading this on a gay website.
My grandmother, who was in her 90s when she passed away, was more open minded than you.
I honestly feel sorry for you and all the commenters with their bigoted replies.
Sad… Just sad…
Loki
@Mika_Brzezinski
What is there to be “open-minded” about? GAY MEN and LESBIAN WOMEN deserve their own spaces free from transgender encroachment. Read up on “the cotton ceiling”…
Franklin
Unless something’s changed, agay bar is for GLB and T people last I checked. Maybe you should start your own bar and you can put all the people you see fit in it.
Loki
@Frankeline
No, a gay bar is for GAY MEN to congregate/associate with each other. Likewise for lesbian bars. You can seek the company of ABCDEFG, etc. at any regular bar.
cr8054
This is why I do not feel comfortable at Pride or at “LGBT” bars. Too many gays and lesbians hate transgender people even if we have been a part of the gay rights movement since the very beginning. Transgender people come in all sexual types, gay straight, pansexual, etc. Yet we are hated. We don’t harm anyone. We just want the same rights as everyone else.
Loki
Sounds like the friend was caught ordering drinks for the transgender after the ID card was deemed dodgy and they were all thrown out as a result. Nothing to see here.
SheaLaRoux
That is false! The police and the door man confirmed the IDs were legit. Also the fkn owner heard all sides and made the correct decision
Topman60640
No, the FB poster (BFF with the trans who got ejected) claimed “a bouncer” said it was legit. So where’s he?
We also have no statement from the police on the ID. What we do have is the fact that the cops cited the ejected patron for disorderly conduct, and threatened to run them in if they didn’t leave.
rikard_pearson
being in the hospitality industry since 1974 i have two things to point out 1) a bar fails without a liquor license. ANYTHING that puts the license in jeopardy is more serious than any patron can imagine. one suspicious I.D. is enough to suspend the license for the weeks it takes to appeal a citation. 2) when the decision is made to refuse to serve someone it is not acceptable to argue, plead, sweet talk, tip, sneak around to another bartender, or throw a tantrum.
razr7
The 2 staff members in question are no longer employeed at the establishment.
iamru2
All this “we are victims” mentality is destroying our culture.
Kangol2
Whose “culture”? Your right-wing anti-gay culture is fine with discrimination.
LGBTQ people, i.e., the rest of us, are not OK with discrimination. We have to fight against it regularly. Glad the two transphobic creeps got fired, BTW!
kramer1
I am blown away that Carter was finally fired. He has been a problem at JR’s for years. Good riddance and amen.
Topman60640
“Problem?” Then how did he end up as a MOD (manager on duty)
Any facts to back that up?
proudwhitegay
Stop letting autogynephiles (AGPs) in our bars. We are MEN. Thank you!
micahb
Carter used to be sexy, nice and fun…. That was about 20 years ago. That sexy, nice and fun Carter only lasted a few years. He soon become an arrogant, holier than tho, “lord of Jr’s and Caven”. This type of behavior is not only common from him, it’s expected.
Getting that thorn out of Jr’s is a good thing – I’m just surprised it took this long.
I know that group had a frustrating night, but I hope they can find peace knowing that made a bigger impact on the over gay community in Dallas than just giving Jr’s a few bad yelp reviews.
The Trans community lead the fight at Stone Wall… They are the most targeted for hate crimes… And lots of times, they are not included in “gay rights/protections”.
We should all be thankful for trans people. They fight a fight many of us aren’t even aware of.
Loki
@Mika
“The Trans community lead the fight at Stone Wall…”
And WHITE GAY MEN (members of the Mattachine Society) led the fight for GAY RIGHTS at The Black Cat bar in Silver Lake two years earlier… :/
Kangol2
@Loca,
And GAY AND TRANS PEOPLE OF COLOR, as well as some white gay male hustlers, led the fight against cops for GAY AND TRANS RIGHTS at Compton’s Cafeteria in the San Francisco Tenderloin in 1966, three years before Stonewall! Afterwards, the Vanguard Youth Group, which was multiracial, led public actions that eventually helped lead to better services for LGBTQ people in SF. So what’s your point?
Loki
@Kangoon
The Mattachines were founded in 1950. Then there was Edward Carpenter in Edwardian England… we can keep going back further and further into time if you want……
Franklin
@Loki and it seems like they weren’t really getting anywhere until stonewall rallied everyone together.
Loki
@Frank
Wow. So I guess 19th century suffragettes like Emmeline Pankhurst “weren’t really getting anywhere” because they didn’t get the vote till 1918… :/
SharpDressedDyke
The Mattachine societies are an interesting choice. Their position was to push for gay men (“homophiles” in their teens) to stay quiet and blend into society. They were who wrote the message on the replacement windows the day after the Stonewall riot urging compliance rather than continuing the fight.
Mikey E
A lot of ignorance in this thread. Trans” people did not “lead” or “start” Stonewall. And Stonewall was not the beginning of the gay rights movement. At the time of Stonewall, there had been significant activism and success around the world. Decriminalization of homosexuality in the UK, Canada, and in Illinois, with another 4 states preparing to decriminalize. A US Supreme Court victory. Protests at the Pentagon and White House. Lobbying and litigation against federal agencies. Gay rights organizations in multiple states. Gay political magazines. Even a gay rights radio program.
Stop erasing gay history in favor of one cherry-picked event.
Stop treating Stonewall like some sort of religious event whose particulars bind and limit the choices and priorities of LGB people. And if you must obsess over that one cherry-picked event, stop erasing the 1000+ gay people and scores of straight people who made it happen in favor of a group which was almost entirely absent.
Loki
A lot of ignorance and not knowing history in this thread… nothing of note actually happened until “Marsha” threw that brick at Stonewall, huh? Never mind that she wasn’t there and it was actually Storme DeLarverie (a butch lesbian) who was the woman in question…
Polaro
This kind of story bothers me a lot. My first thought was gay bars throw no one out for no reason. The real story, if you read it, is the employee inappropriately denied access and the gay bad fired him. The person was not thrown out, they were denied admission. People really need to stop spinning stories to for their personal crusade.
Brian
Read it again. They were thrown out while watching the drag show.
Mr.McSprinkle
Let me sprinkle some fairy dust. Most ,but not all, security personnel are known for their oafishness. In general it is best not to inflame the passions of $8 per hour Orang U Tangs. Just leave. That being said JRs does have drag shows. They even have a post op transsexual critter as a bartender. And a very obnoxious one at that.
And as most of the staff comes from redneck counties, they are not use to the behavior required of a polite society. In fact most of the staff need to be told that toilets are not potato washing machines.
I wish Carter well in search for employment.
verifyb4believe
As a bartender in a large city in a very liberal state in the Northeast I would have refused to serve her as well. Any patron presenting an out of state license is required to show a back up photo id. Names & pictures must match or no Pickle Shots for you! If they or someone in their party tries to get another bartender or server to serve them, the entire party gets kicked out.
What we’re not seeing in the video is the initial reaction of this person; trust me when you tell people “sorry I can’t serve you”, 9/10 times they get angry and usually end up escorted out. Yes the bar replaced the security, not really proof of wrongdoing, more likely due to not wanting to deal with the SJW types ranting online & our community screeching for a boycott. It’s also important to note the security was from a security company, so they most likely didn’t get fired, just reassigned. Lastly, video shows her trying to push past him, at that point he’s 100% justified in going “hands on”.
Brian
What backup photo ID do people show? I don’t bring my passport if I’m traveling to another state, the only other thing in my wallet with a picture on it is my Costco card and that is so grainy you can barely recognize me. Plus, it’s not an ID.
Brian
Here’s what I’m not understanding from the comments here. There are people who believe that a trans woman is still a man because of various reasons. I think it’s fairly obvious which of these commenters believe that. So to them I ask, why aren’t you supporting Blair more than anyone else here?
According to your beliefs, a man went to a bar and showed an ID that said he was a man. People’s faces don’t change that dramatically when they transition, even with all of the feminizing surgery she had it’s still very easy to tell that Caitlyn and Bruce Jenner are the same person. And 99% of trans people can’t afford to do 1/4 of what she had done to her face.
So we have a man with a male ID whose physical description and face match the ID. What exactly makes this ID sketchy and what makes it ok that the bar wouldn’t accept this valid and accurate ID?
verifyb4believe
@brian State alcohol laws vary, in my state they require back up id, and if YOU read the article she & members of her party went to another bartender on site before being kicked out.
Brian
I did read the article. It says:
“The group stayed and watched the drag show to support some of the performers, but Heredia says when another friend joined them and later walked over to a different bartender to get a drink, the manager walked over and told the bartender not to serve them because he was socializing with the trans person that he had turned away. Heredia claims the manager then had security throw out the entire group.”
However, even if she had gone to a different bartender herself, she had a completely valid ID, she was certainly within her right to get a drink. There is a point where refusing to serve somebody becomes an issue of discrimination, otherwise we would still have places refusing to serve black people simply because they’re black.
That she made a scene afterward doesn’t negate the fact that they pretty clearly refused to serve her solely based on her sexual identity (assuming this version of events is accurate).
Also, you didn’t say what would be a valid secondary ID in your state.