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Apparently Houston has no city ordinance that prevents a business from discriminating against visitors for their sexual orientation. As a result, gay and lesbian clients at the city's Union Bar were told to wait out in the rain. At the same time those who looked heterosexual were permitted to go inside. The people were participating in the first “Guerilla Gay Bar” event in Houston.
Apparently Houston has no city ordinance that prevents a business from discriminating against visitors for their sexual orientation. As a result, gay and lesbian clients at the city's Union Bar were told to wait out in the rain. At the same time those who looked heterosexual were permitted to go inside.
Union Bar in Houston refused entry to gay people on Friday, March 13. The people were participating in the first “Guerilla Gay Bar” event in Houston, which an article from Dallas Voice reported that the establishment had approved before the event.
"Guerilla Gay Bar" nights have taken place in several cities. They take place in straight bars, and normally no advance notice is given to management. This time the management was given notification, and the management gave approval, indicating the people participating would be welcomed at the bar.
The Houston GLBT Political Caucus issued a press release that stated, "Patrons started lining up at about 9:40 p.m. and were told to wait in line and not allowed inside, even as straight-appearing people were waved through.
"As the line grew and patrons waited in the rain, employees at the door told those who were in line that they were maintaining a ’ratio,’" even though the bar was mostly empty when gays and lesbians participating in the event began to arrive.
"Later, the bar employees simply indicated they had the right to refuse anyone."
Those refused entry were shocked to face that kind of discrimination in a city such as Houston in 2009. Also in the press release, "Kris Banks, who stood at the front of the line, said the bar employees were asking the women who were entering with men if the men were accompanying them. If the men were with the women, they were allowed in."
According to an article from EDGE on the Net, “A Facebook page has been established to spread word of the incident and encourage the GLBT community to avoid the night spot. Text at the page reads, "It is also important to note that State Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, filed a bill, on March 3, 2009 that would prevent places such as Union Bar from discriminating against patrons based on sexual orientation or gender identity/expression."
