CW: SA, PTSD discussion
I think it's time I give more specifics on why I stopped patronizing this particular bar. Enough time has passed.
From March 2023 to August 2024, I was a regular patron at CC's. It's the closest bar to my apartment. I came regularly to their Gaymer Nights. I never raised an issue or did anything to get kicked out of the bar. But I choose not to go back.
On August 17, 2024, I was SA'd at one of their Funderwear Nights by a person I met through SEA-PAH. At the time, I was so shocked and embarrassed that I kept quiet about it for months. After speaking about it afterward with that person, and with others in SEA-PAH, two things were clear to me: one, that he would not take accountability for what he did, and two, that if given an opportunity, he would absolutely do it again.
Considering CC's is a bar this person visits regularly, I raised a serious safety concern with the venue's security. My understanding from that conversation was that the bar would not issue a BOLO for this person because the assault happened on the sidewalk rather than literally inside the bar.
Which makes zero sense. We were only outside because this person got me high and isolated me from the venue. CC's regularly hosts and profits from events that are cruisey and high-octane, in a dark venue with stiff drinks. I had two before going outside.
What I'm trying to say here is that the venue created an environment where I was assaulted, then hid behind a legal technicality in a way that felt like avoiding action or liability. Venues that profit off sex and substance use should not just believe survivors of assault; they should take steps to prevent assault from occurring. Assault is always the fault of the perpetrator, but venues also have a hand in creating a safe environment. I've seen them kick people out before for this, so what was different about this scenario? Especially since a separate venue that used to host my abuser caught wind of what occurred and cancelled his events.
Since the event, I've had to rebuild my relationship to kink, find better friends, and take a major step back from nightlife. Ultimately this was for the best, but it wasn't originally my choice when it should have always been my choice. I could not go to CC's afterward without feeling on edge. Especially since the bar, as I noted in my previous review, is infamous for having guys grope and touch you. And it seems that recently they stopped issuing out free water. With stiff drinks, in a hot dark room, during events where people are taking off their clothes...make it make sense.
CC's now hosts SEA-PAH socials, and the person who SA'd me claims in a public review that he prefers to go there. Me, on the other hand? I lost trust in a major Seattle institution. I couldn't trust them to handle my sexual safety concerns in a way that made me feel protected as a patron.
I cannot recommend this bar to anyone who needs venues to have clear accountability around sexual misconduct. read more