Sydney nightspot, Club 77 has banned patrons from staring without consent. They’ve appointed “safety officers” in pink vests to monitor this.
Iconic Sydney nightspot, Club 77 introduced some policy updates earlier this month, in an effort to create more of a “safe space” for club-goers, and deter patrons who don’t share the venue’s “values and ethics when it comes to club culture.”
Among them is a rule about staring – or not staring, we should say. Club 77 took to its official Instagram page, to discuss the new policy: “As a nightclub, we encourage you to interact with strangers, however any engagement MUST begin with verbal consent.”
They added, “this also applies if you are, for example, staring at someone from afar. If the attention you are giving someone is unwanted, that is considered harassment. If you’re being harassed by another person or receiving unwanted attention, please seek them out or tell our staff immediately.”
Dane Gorrel, owner of Club 77, told the Daily Telegraph that no one had been kicked out of the venue for staring just yet, but the aim of the policy was to make the ground rules clear, especially for younger patrons and new club-goers: “Someone could stare at someone and make them feel uncomfortable, they could be staring at them for quite some time,” explained Gorrel. “People want to go out, they want to feel safe, they don’t want people chasing after them, the response to it has been extremely positive.”
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