Iconic Sydney party palace Club 77 actually banned unsolicited staring from those looking to “pick up” during a night out and honestly, if this was a thing everywhere maybe I’d leave my apartment more.
Club 77 announced the changes in early August via Instagram, warning local creeps they are not welcome to just hang around the venue.
“Thanks to the support of our community and amazing patrons, Club 77 has been busier than ever,” it wrote.
“Unfortunately, this has also attracted some people who do not share our values and ethics when it comes to club culture, consent and harassment.
“In response to this we’ve updated our safety and harassment policy and introduced new measures to make sure this venue continues to remain a SAFE SPACE.”
Considering more than half of all the harassment I’ve ever experienced as a woman has either been near or in a venue like this one, this is fkn great.
Club 77’s safety and harassment policy states there is a “zero tolerance” for *any* kind of harassment.
“Creating a safe space goes beyond implementing practices to deal with incidents after they have happened,” it says.
“We also also have an obligation to educate new club-goers and help them understand what is considered unacceptable behavior inside the venue and on the dance floor.
“As a nightclub, we encourage you to interact with strangers, however any engagement MUST begin with verbal consent. 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.”
Honestly, it’s so refreshing to see this taken seriously. As I’m sure many women have experienced, we’re often told to just ignore things like staring because that kind of behaviour is considered harmless. “They’re not touching you, are they? They’re not actually doing anything to you? Just look the other way.” We’ve all heard it.
Except that behaviour *is* harmful. It makes you feel unsafe and uncomfortable. And then you start to wonder what else this creep is okay with doing. Best to nip that shit in the bud and stop it where it starts.
”Each night, one of our security guards inside the club will be designated a ‘Safety Officer’ and recognisable by a pink hi-vis vest,” the policy continued.
“They have been trained to handle complaints and concerns. If you’re being harassed by another person or receiving unwanted attention, please seek them out or tell our staff immediately.
”If we receive reports of any behaviour that has made someone feel uncomfortable, the reported individual will be removed from the venue and the police will be called. We do this to make everyone feel safe and to ensure our patrons are comfortable approaching staff if anything has made them uncomfortable or feel unsafe.
“Club 77 is committed to developing and nurturing a strong culture of consent. We encourage feedback on how we can continue to improve and ask all our community to please help us improve our space.”
Honestly, every nightclub should do this. We love to see it.
