Clubbers go wild in a safe space at Pxssy Palace
(Picture: Instagram/@jerusharose)An east London nightclub has hit back at criticism of its door policy of charging straight men six times as much as guests from LGBTQ+ and minority communities.
Promoters for Pxssy Palace, a monthly club night, attracted controversy for having a tier system door policy to help create a safe space for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) who are Queer, Intersex, Trans or Non-binary (identify as neither male nor female).
Straight men were expected to pay £112 at their latest event at E1 nightclub on Saturday with some getting “violent” with door staff.
Whilst black and ethnic minority party-goers who were ‘queer’, non-binary or trans could get in for £16.80.
White clubbers who were trans or non-white straight women could pay a mid-range ticket price of £24.64.
The promoters behind the event, who describe themselves as “a small group of Queer & Trans Black & Brown slags who love this work and do not have all the answers”, said they stand by the model completely.
They claim that straight men have harassed their guests and become violent against door staff when “not adhering to the policy”.
Their website says: “Straight Cisgendered men, don’t come unless you are down to pay £100.” But adds: “We do not police this, you make this decision on how you feel you should pay.”
But GB news presenter Colin Brazier expressed his outrage tweeting: “A disco in London is charging straight white male clubbers six times more....for being straight, white, males.”
A Pxssy Palace spokesperson told The Standard that the tier system allows free tickets to people who can’t afford entry as well as a free taxi service for trans people to get home safely at kicking out time.
They said: “Ultimately we operate on a model of equity, not equality.
“And I think it’s very clear from our support yesterday why it’s needed.
“We have had straight men harass our guests and be violent towards our door staff when not adhering to our policy.
“It’s a shame that’s happened but honestly the ticketing tiers have really helped.”
@pxssypalace not only provides but curates a space that is safe for people who aren’t afforded that environment anywhere else. The black and POC queer community is owed time to celebrate their lives when so much of it is spent having to protect, defend and justify them.
— samuel (@consamti) February 1, 2022
The promotors also explained that their pricing policy is not enforced.
They said: “You should pay with your heart and whatever your wallet allows, regardless of your identity and if you can pay more you should, as that allows us to give away a lot of free tickets every month to those who are on low income. We stand by this model completely.”
“As for the criticism, I hope that people take the time to evaluate why they are upset with us when we are just one club fighting to tackle the multitudes of disparities our community faces and we hope this inspires people who are also creating spaces for people with protected characteristics.”
The controversy came as a trans woman was subjected to homophobic taunting at a Wembley Chicken shop on Saturday.
Naya Martinez, 21, was told that she would be “shanked” if her and a friend didn’t leave by a group of young men in TikTok video.
She told the BBC: “I remember this one guy saying to me ‘you are not from here and this does not run here... and I was like ‘why, I’m ordering my food?’ and he was like ‘no, I beg you get out or I will stab you’.
“All I felt in that moment was ‘oh my God I am going to get touched soon, this is going to be physical.”
In a statement, the Met Police said: “Police were made aware of this video on Saturday, 29 January which shows an incident at a takeaway restaurant in Bridge Road, Wembley.
“Inquiries are under way to identify those shown in the video.”
