Heterosexuals Are Banned at a Gay Pub in Australia

According to Wikipedia.org, the term homophobic means "prejudiced against homosexual people." In retrospect, a group of homosexuals at an Australian hotel catering service strictly for homosexual men have successfully won the rights to ban heterosexuals from entering its bar.

This banning is an attempt to provide the gay men at the venue with a safe and comfortable setting, according to Reuters. The Victorian state civil and administrative tribunal ruled that the southern Melbourne city's hotel, Peel Hotel, could exclude patrons based on sexual orientation. This is believed to be a first for Australia.

Ironically enough, Australia has equal opportunity laws that prevent people from being victims of discrimination based on religion, sexuality, and/or race. Victoria's state human rights commission supported the ruling, saying it was in agreement with equal opportunity guidelines defending the legal entitlements of groups who experience discrimination. However, owner of the Peel Hotel, Tom McFeely, has said the ruling was a necessary step in the right direction to providing gay men with a friendly, non-threatening atmosphere.

"If I can limit the number of heterosexuals entering the Peel, then that helps me keep the safe balance," Peel told Australian radio on Monday. McFeely made a point to say that the hotel stopped welcoming all guests because the gay clientele had expressed concerns over a discomforting feeling when the numbers of heterosexuals and lesbians entering the venue increased in the past year.

"When large numbers of heterosexuals or even lesbians are in the hotel that changes the atmosphere and many gay men can feel uncomfortable," said McFeely to an Australian radio show.

McFeely's hotel is distinguished, as there are more than 2,000 venues in Melbourne for heterosexuals, but the Peel Hotel is the only marketing itself exclusively to homosexual men.

"There aren't that many places where gay people can go and meet without the risk of being harassed or vilified, and that they are entitled to have their own spaces to do that in," continued McFeely.

In the United States, gay Americans are the group that is subject to the most hate crimes, according to Gay Youth Statistics. In fact, according to Now.org, transgendered, bisexual,and gay students are five times more likely to have more absences in school than his/her heterosexual classmate due to feeling unsafe.