From: Allison (pinkfest@pinkmyst.com)
Date: Fri Jul 03 2009 - 11:24:46 CDT
Okay I have been following this thread from the begining (including the
other on-line group that started this controversy) and decided to find
out just what the policy at Hunter's is and what happened that night.
I want to start out by stating that I was not at the door that night nor
was I even at Hunter's so what I have heard about the incident was
coming third hand since the person telling me about this also did not
witness what happened first hand.
My partner and I went to Hunter's last night to have a couple of drinks
and also I wanted to talk to some of the staff to see if I could find
out just why this happened again after Hunter's said in a Windy City
Times article last year that they would never again turn away someone
from the trans community again (here is a link to that article:
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=3D14466).
Having gone there off and on for the last 8 years I have gotten to know
several of the bartenders and security staff very well.
After talking to several of the bartenders and security staff including
those at the door last night I can tell you that Hunter's has not
instituted a new policy to try to keep the transgendered community from
patronizing them.
>From what the security staff told me and also one of the bartenders who
is also the partner of one of the owners the girl in question was denied
access to Hunter's because her ID did not look anything like how she was
presenting. Now as has been posted there is a clause in the cook county
ordinance that states that if an ID is required then it must match the
persona of the person presenting it. By the letter of the law if your ID
shows a male person and yor trying to get into anyplace in cook county
requiring ID's then you can be denied.
Now before any of you start jumping all over that last statement the
night in question and more directly the gal in question was probably
checked by either Mark (one of the owners) of one of a couple of new
security staff that were at Hunter's that night and who take the
ordinance and following it to the letter seriously. It is after all
their liquor license that is in jeopordy if they are cited for
non-conformance. 95% of the security staff know that most of the
transgendered community do not have an ID that matches how they are
presenting and will allow admittance if you do present a valid ID.
What I was told is that if you had waited even 30 min after that
incident you probably would have had different securoity staff at the
door and would not have had a problem getting in. This probably explains
why there were posts from other girls who said they did not have any
problems getting in that same night.
Is this wrong even for one girl to be subjected to this? Yes it is and
while I am upset that it happened it is what it is and there is nothing
we can do to change this situation other than live with it. I will tell
you this ... if we as a community make a major issue out of this one
incident like what happened last year when the Windy City Times was
involved then I was told that Hunter's could insititute a policy where
all people presenting an ID will be rewuired to have a photo that
represent the way that they look at that time of entrance.
I feel this is a threat to keep us quiet and blackmail but at the same
time I am also aware that the people that would be hurt most are those
that need to be able to go to places like Hunter's. If Hunter's were to
insititue a policy where all ID photos must match the person of the
person showing it then I would estimate that 75% of our community would
not be able to get in. While it doesn't matter to me as I am full time
and my ID has my Female name and gender on it this is not the case for
most of us. Even those that have not transitioned and are lucky enough
to have a picture on their drivers license that looks just like they
present when going out dressed are not going to be effected by this
policy but think of the ramifications. If one bar institutes such a
policy there is a chance that other bars in the Chicago metro area could
also and that would hurt all of us.
I think that we as a community will have to decide just how we want to
approach this incident and what we are prepare to lose if we want to
make an issue of what happened. Maybe what is required is that we have
IGA or EqIL get involved and meet with the staff at Hunter's to see how
this can be resolved to the benifit of all of us.
Allison
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