Came here 7th Jan - early hours of 8th Jan 2023 after partying in SHE Bar in Soho all night with my GF, which is a lesbian bar. We had the wristbands still on. When SHE eventually closed we headed to G-A-Y late as we were kissing in the street and weird men started approaching us outside the bar (this is why gay bars are important). It was my first night being openly out in public and I was nervous and didn't want to have to police my behavior around straight men for safety reasons. There was no queue at G-A-Y Late and when we approached the door staff, we were asked if we are members, I've had this problem before and this is what they say to you when they don't believe you are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. I explained that a membership card isn't required (as someone who knows how this works, they also like to say 'regulars only') this didn't go down well with the male door staff and we were told we weren't coming in. My GF said we had friends inside, we were told to stand to one side to call them to prove it. They weren't picking up. We tried again and were told to go and eat something and come back, neither of us were drunk. We'd had maybe 3-4 drinks. I've also seen this used against people who do this and are then refused entry still after eating, so I knew they were just trying to get rid of me. We decided to go in and pay since we were being discriminated against for no reason at all, after paying I was then taken outside and told I was trespassing despite the fact they couldn't give either of us a solid reason for not being allowed inside. I said if that's true I want a refund, I was refused this too. We were then told sternly we weren't coming in, I began filming the staff because I wanted to make a formal complaint and needed to film the evidence, as I've never had this much trouble with any clubs or bars. We were just wanting a night out in a safe space and this was taken from us. I wasn't screaming or shouting, I was calmly trying to speak to the staff. I was clearly upset though they really didn't seem to care, in fact they seemed amused. One of the male door staff staff told me I was now barred from G-A-Y Late, but again didn't tell me why. He just asked me if it was worth it and screamed at me to call the police, I hadn't even mentioned the police. Eventually a female door staff member came out, unsure if she was a team leader or security manager but again she didn't take a second to ask me what happened she just told me that she doesn't know why we weren't allowed in but that we were trespasses and can't come in. We were told to go to the 24/7 casino? I'm sorry but this isn't safe for queer people. I'm not sure what they wanted us to do, we were literally kissing outside the venue but still told we can't come in? I don't expect they understand what LGBTQ+ looks like in 2023, but they need to leave their assumptions behind and the staff need to take on sensitivity training, most of them didn't look queer themselves and judging by their attitude were likely not part of the community. This place will honesty use absolutely any excuse to discriminate people who just want a good night in a safe space. It's safe to say I left completely distraught and in tears, it's not easy coming to terms with your sexuality and I've always came to gay bars/queer spaces hoping to feel accepted and without judgement and usually do. This is the only gay bar branch that I've had trouble with and judging by the reviews and comments on social media/tik tok etc I'm not an isolated incident. How I was treated was so hurtful and demeaning that I'm never coming back. This isn't a space that's suitable for queer folks, if you don't look a certain way you can't come inside. Please save your money and time and go elsewhere, nobody should have to worry about getting in somewhere because of how they look. It goes completely against the queer community of love yourself as you are.
I've attached pictures of all the staff who I interacted with, hopefully G-A-Y Late will do something though my hopes aren't particularly high.
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