Did Portland bar owner tell gay patron to stay away?
PORTLAND, Ore. - A North Portland bar owner is accused of leaving voicemails telling some customers to stay away because he doesn't want a reputation as a “gay bar.”
As a result of the accusations, a state agency, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), is investigating the P Club on North Lombard Street.
P Club owner Chris Penner said he's waiting to receive the full complaint in the mail from BOLI, which states Penner left two messages on a customer's voicemail in June, telling them to stay away lest the bar get a reputation as a gay establishment.
The BOLI complaint said Penner’s first voicemail said "I am going to have to ask for you and your group not to come back on Friday nights. I really don't like having to do that but unfortunately it's the area we are in and it's hurting business a lot."
In the second voice message, the complaint states Penner said "I've done some investigating why my sales are declining and there's two things I keep hearing: people think that a) we're a tranny [trans-sexual] bar or b) we're a gay bar. We are neither. People are not coming in because they just don't want to be there on a Friday night now."
The owner defended himself in an interview with KATU News.
"It’s not true,” Penner said. “We're not a homophobic bar by any means."
"Half my staff is lesbian and gay, so where this whole thing is coming from, I have no idea,” Penner added.
Penner says the P Club has hosted same-sex wedding receptions, gay pride events and a weekly dance party directed toward the gay and lesbian community.
He says the discrimination allegation against him "kind of shocked all of us. My employees are kind of baffled by it. My customers find it kind of humorous because it's the farthest thing from the truth,” Penner said.
Penner said he's still waiting to receive the full complaint from BOLI in the mail.
“I haven't seen it in full detail yet so I really can't talk about anything that I don't know what is all written there,” Penner said about the BOLI complaint.
Penner cited his lawyer's advice when he said he would not address the specifics of the complaint.
"We're not a labeled bar,” he added. “We're not a biker bar. We're not a country-western bar. We're not a gay bar. We're a neighborhood bar that's open to everybody."
Penner said his bar does kick people out but only if they're disrespectful, not because of their sexual orientation.
Officials at BOLI have so far not returned calls from KATU News.
This comment has been deleted
 @FLATFOOT2810 ANSWER 1 YUP... ANSWER 2 NOT ME...Â
what does the "P" stand for?
@Phuzz Portsmouth...its located on Portsmouth and Lombard in North Portland
Â
It's official name is Portsmouth Pizza & Pub
 @Phuzz It's what you go do after you drink a few beers.
 @Phuzz P Club owner Chris Penner  P-enner?
So what if he did. It's his business, he can do what he wants with it. These homosexuals need to realize that not everything in the world is about them.
@getvocal The city of Portland has a anti-gay/transgender ordinance that bars discrimination in public places.That being said,we really don't know all the facts of the story.If he is indeed guilty of the accusations,he deserves to go bankrupt.Being the gay friendly city that Portland is,acusations such as this can end up being a death knell for a business.
Personally a business owner should be able to run his business as he chooses. At least in the America I grew up in was that way. A bad business would go under and a good business would prosper.
Â
Â
Now the government tells business what they can do and what they can't do.
Â
If a gay person who was too drunk to get served by Oregon law was refused he could go and complain that he was told that he wasn't getting served because he was gay. The state would investigate and cost the owner a lot of money in attorneys fees and of course KATU would pick up the story. Next thing the owner is doing is filing for bankruptcy.
Â
I am do glad that I don't have to deal with this crap.
Must be a slow news day......This is not worth reporting.
You got gay customers like we do here in Pearl District and let me tell you count your blessing.They don't have gangs and drug problems and they always got money to spend as they fill the street Sports bars  here on 23 rd and 21st  Friday and Saturday nights.You don't have to  worry about bar fights and idiot drinkers.Being a redneck  I am  still trying to figure out how that  transexual  cleaned my clock playing ping pong.There a fun group to have around and spend a lot of money and don't fall for the line gays can't play ping pong like i did.
 @riderofthelegend Exactly! Who cares as long as they pay.
So he hosts gay weddings and pride events and hires half of his stuff gay and ... he does not want a reputation of a gay bar? I say: if you walk like a duck and talk like a duck ... you are what your actions say that you are.
It wasn't because they were gay, it was because they were cross dressers and he lost the whole 'college group'. Even the bar tenders b*%ched about what he did. However, this stopped being a 'college bar' long before the cross dressing Friday night crew showed up. The owner has slowly run the place into the ground and it is empty regardless of the night. Horrible bands, awful DJ's. It's a shame because they have one of the best places for football with a number of quality screens. Normally I'd have a problem with 'special interest groups' whining about attention, but this really was uncalled for. They'd sit in the corner and mind their own business and the only complaint I ever heard from anyone was about the women's bathroom being full.
Yes, YES the P-Club DID tell the group of transgendered Ladies to go elsewhere! I listened to the video (on YouTube) of the recorded vm  message the owner left for one of the transgendered customers. It was very clear that the owner asked that they not patronize his bar because they were losing buisness. But to be honest with you, that wasn't the only reason that guy was losing buisness - as usual the effing economy but this big pussy (the owner of P-club)  wanted to use the transgendered community as a patsy.Â
 @Janice Payne What proof is there that the voice on the other end of the line was that of the owner?  Was it another employee?  Was it an angry patron posing as the bar owner?  Let's let BOLI do their investigation before everyone passes judgement.
 @Janice Payne Can you provide a link to that YouTube? I have been unable to locate it using every search term I can think up. Thanks.
 @UR ChasingAmy http://youtu.be/fJF4g4oB36U
The Sami Slami and the "q" patrol is revving up their Slu-Pee machines as we squeak:)
As a bartender,I've had to cut a few visibly intoxicated people in a large group off from alcohol or ask someone to leave and have had a few in the group get incensed by it and make all king of allegations about me from being,,racist,homophobic,rude,sexist you name it.Making phone calls to the owner about the horrible way I treated them ect.ect.I'm not saying that's the case here but it sounds like a possibility.
@noneofyourbizzness
We were never cut off by the bar staff for drinking too much. We never had a problem with the bar staff and were always treated wonderful by the bar staff. That is why when we got the voice mail from the owner it was such a surprise. As far as we know we had never even had a complaint from anyone.
@Susan Miller After watching the YT video,I could probably predict that he won't be in business much longer.Portland is the wrong city to pull a stunt like that.Not a very savy businessman.
 @noneofyourbizzness If someone doesn't like something then they start in with the name calling. In the old days the words were a lot different but these days it is as you say.
Â
I get called all kinds of stuff on this board because someone doesn't like my post.
Â
I just don't care anymore. The works mean nothing and words like racist have become meaningless and is about as common as the word "the".
@RalphCramden It's nothing new, Ralph... Socrates once said âWhen the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.â
Â
Not sure how Socrates felt about Trolls, though...
 @Bob McMasterson That's exactly and shows that we have not evolve one bit since Socrates. In fact I think we are getting worse.Â
OMG discrimination! the world is going to end!.. oh wait I don't f'ing care. your tears are so yummy and salty
So what. If they told me to leave I'd say "F you I'll take my money someplace else" then spread the word for others to do so as well. Simple.
I bet sales will go through the roof now!?
 @portlandborn83 Why on earth would you think something like *that*?
@UR ChasingAmy You didn't see the "sarcasm" light blnking?
This comment has been deleted
 @2nd Baseman Haha. KATU doesn't investigate squat.
 @molotovmouse KPTV did though, http://www.kptv.com/story/19242819/transgender-women-explain-complaint-against-portland-club
Discrimination issues aside, isn't it understood that a business establishment has the right to refuse service to anyone?
 @theprodigal That is true, but to basically say you're not allowed here because you're gay is blatant discrimination. If he had simply said you're no longer welcome here and left it at that there wouldn't be an issue.
Where are the voicemails? or did you "accidentally" delete them?
"Did Portland bar owner tell gay patron to stay away?" You tell us KATU, get back to us when you find out otherwise there is no story here.
 @JTesla Psst....Katu, your agenda is showing!
 @randomdude Quick question-  which groups have a reputation for knocking on your door at 7 in the morning to tell you more about their "agenda"?
@CRB Thanks, you saw where I was going.
@GetOverYourself Actually it's doing the same thing over and over again EXPECTING a differnect result...but same dang thing.
 @GetOverYourself I'm bored. What can I say?
 @molotovmouse What's the definition of insanity again? Doing something again and again and getting the same results?
 @GetOverYourself That's the extent of the group of people that knock of my door before 9am. At least they're always nice. Not sure why they keep coming back though. I guess they don't understand futility.
 @molotovmouse That's one, keep going. I'm sure you'll eventually sense a common denominator.
 @GetOverYourself jehovah witness?
Sounds like he might profit from calling it "The Curious Bar" which really seems to fit these increasingly tolerant times, particularly, among the youth who spend all the money anyway.
Whew, good work KATU. Â We almost went an entire day without a gay news story.
I think there is a whole lot more to this story. Half of North Portland is gay so it would not hurt anyone's business to be thought a gay bar. Sounds like the complainant just wanted to start a social media campaign agaist the bar owner. Curious what the real issue is.
The Ambiguously Gay Bar.
 @xilef regnu Somebody send Ace and Gary to investigate!
Attention complaintant" Play us the voicemails.Put up or shut up.
 @hankhandsome http://youtu.be/fJF4g4oB36U