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Guys and Dolls insisted it was an inclusive venue after the post sparked backlashA bar owner has denied homophobia after it banned \u2018antisocial\u2019 public displays of affection \u2018aimed directly to disrupt our straight clientele\u2019.
\nRichard Wernham, who runs Guys and Dolls in the Isle of Man, insisted the venue was \u2018inclusive to all\u2019 and that the rule applied to mixed-sex couples as well.
\nIt comes after Facebook post outlining the bar\u2019s strict PDA policy on May 23 appeared to imply that gay people were deliberately flouting it.
\nThe post said:\u00a0 \u2018We are very pleased to welcome our new staff members and will now resume taking bookings.
\n\u2018All staff are now aware of our PDA (public displays of affection) policy and why we apply it. Also the manor [sic] it\u2019s being used to undermine our community based function.
\n\u2018Any further attempts to deliberately provoke it will be regarded as antisocial behavior aimed directly to disrupt our straight clientele, many of whom have family members who are from LGBT+ groups.
\n\u2018We all support this approach and will enforce it. Welcome to equal rights and 2021.\u2019
\nThe policy sparked outrage from LGBT+ residents and patrons, who dubbed it \u2018disgraceful\u2019 and \u2018blatantly homophobic\u2019.
\nThe Isle of Man\u2019s main Pride organisation, Isle of Pride, also condemned the post, saying: \u2018Recent Facebook comments from a local bar have demonstrated that while we may have come a long way on the journey to equality, there is still more work to do.<\/p>\n
Gina Kinrade, 23 and Kara Varetto, 24, say they were told to stop kissing in the venue in 2017 (Picure: Kennedy News and Media)\u2018The ability to hold hands and kiss your partner in public is not restricted in law nor to being a specific gender or sexual orientation.\u2019
\nGuys and Dolls later clarified that any \u2018socially unacceptable\u2019 amorous encounters between anyone would result in punters being kicked out, and that such a policy had been in place for 10 years.
\nA follow-up post explained: \u2018We welcome all, LGBT+, straight or of any ethnicity. Our target clientele is the more mature audience who enjoy older music but the door is open to all.
\n\u2018We have high standards of public behavior in keeping with our type of license.This includes regulating behavior that would be considered by other guests as socially unacceptable.
\n\u2018In a mixed environment this sometimes gets confused as being unfair when it isn\u2019t. Our rules apply to all regardless of sexuality etc.
\n\u2018A simple kiss between two people wouldn\u2019t cause any issue, it happens frequently. However when things get a little more heated it\u2019s a different story and as in any public venue a request to cool it down will be made. This is usually all that happens.\u2019
\nThe post said action would only be taken if people ignored the warnings. <\/p>\n
The bar clarified its policy after being accused of homophobia (Picture: Kennedy News and Media)It stressed: \u2018It doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s two males, two females or a male and a female, it\u2019s something that applies to all.\u2019
\nKara Varetto, 24, claims they were told by bar staff to stop kissing their girlfriend Gina Kinrade, 23, on a Pride night in 2017.
\nKara said: \u2018I was just about to go to the bar and I kissed my partner briefly. One of the staff members very snappily said \u2018stop that.\u2019
\n\u2018We were both taken aback and we giggled, but then we realised she was being serious.
\n\u2018We went up to her to get an explanation, and she told us that we weren\u2019t allowed to kiss on the premises, as it was their PDA rule.
\n\u2018When she said that, I remember looking around and seeing lots of couples kissing. I have a lot of friends who are straight and as far as I\u2019m aware, they\u2019ve never been chucked out of there for kissing.\u2019
\nKara, a support worker and Pride Youth representative, added: \u2018I think the recent Facebook posts were very badly worded, and the way they\u2019ve gone about enforcing this rule comes across as very homophobic.\u2019
\nMore: LGBTQ<\/p>\n
Mr Wernhem said much of the misunderstanding comes from the name of the policy under the previous administration, the \u2018no kissing rule\u2019.
\nHe insisted this isn\u2019t the case and that the venue \u2018is doing nothing out of the ordinary\u2019 when it comes to banning overly amorous displays of affection.
\nHe claimed that on some occasions, \u2018we have encountered deliberately staged acts in prominent places\u2019 and that anyone behaving like this is treated the same.
\nHe condemned the social media criticism, saying: \u2018I\u2019ve been accused of being homophobic, which is absolutely ridiculous. There\u2019s not a homophobic bone in my body.
\n\u2018We do cater for the island\u2019s LGBT, but we also cater to an older audience, some of them straight, some of them gay.
\n\u2018We have a policy which dates before I was involved, initially called a \u2018no-kissing\u2019 rule. I changed its name to make it more understandable.
\n\u2018We don\u2019t throw people out for it, unless they\u2019re repeat offenders and it\u2019s a deliberate act.
\n\u2018This [Facebook comments] is a malicious attack and seems highly orchestrated. We are an all-inclusive venue who welcomes all equally and not a gay bar as some infer.
\n\u2018It isn\u2019t in any way discriminatory, it applies to all and is completely legal. It\u2019s about keeping standards of behavior high and not about spoiling people\u2019s fun.\u2019
\nGet in touch with our news team by emailing us at\u00a0webnews@metro.co.uk.
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