Ricky Beirao (as
Rhubarb Rouge) and Shay Evans (as Felicity Frockaccino) along
with one other drag sister went to Wellington's newly opened
The Temperance clubbing destination on Friday night, and say
all was well until they entered Madame Jo Jo's club
inside the building.
"We were dancing with the crowd,
having fun," explains Beirao, who insists he and his friends
were not drunk at the time. "Then we were heading to the men's
toilet to check our wigs, and some bouncers followed us.
"Then we hear 'We don't want the
fucking fags in here'. The security guys told us to go, and
followed us, then eventually pushed us forward to make sure we
left. It made us trip down the stairs.
"I said: 'Don't put your hand on
me, we're already leaving'."
His friend Evans told a similar
story on GayNZ.com's Forum: "It's all a good night so far, great
place, friendly staff. About 20 minutes into being there I
decide to go downstairs so I pushed the button and waited for an
elevator. Waiting waiting, next thing you know two bouncers spot
me and say 'You have to go, you're too colourful'.
"They push me into the elevator,
so hard that the side of my heel breaks - but not enough to
break off - and when I ask the security guy in the elevator, he
doesn't have a clue what is happening. We get to the ground and
the security guys apologising and saying 'I'm sorry for this'
and then I walk outside. As I leave I hear him going 'Damn that
f***en a**ehole, how dare he boot those drag queens out'."
His two 'sisters' were also thrown
out, with no reason given, he continued. "One of the girls was
abusively pushed out of the bar, the other escorted. Now I know
they can kick you out if you're too intoxicated, but we were
invited in, and then booted out.
"I swear I will be putting up
signs there saying 'Don't Discriminate us Drag Queens!' all over
the front of it if nothing's done about this, I found it rude
and abusive, and there was absolutely no way they had to make
such a scene out of it all."
GayNZ.com contacted Steve
Drummond, the General Manager of Temperance, who'd spoken
to the security staff and Duty Manager who worked there on
Friday night. "We're very strict on the behaviour of our
patrons, and when they act like they're intoxicated we have to
remove them from the site. It's a legal obligation," he explains
of the decision to remove the drag queens from the bar on
Friday.
"There were three customers that
came in. They went to Madame Jo Jo's and started pushing
some of the other customers. So they were asked to leave - and
then one of them attacked one of our security with a bollard
[metal pole].
"At the moment we're considering
whether we're going to lay charges," Drummond concludes.
