An 18-year-old British woman said she was asked to leave a popular gay nightclub in Manchester after staff deemed her wheelchair to be a “safety risk”.
Oldham resident Maddie Henning said: BBC She was out with friends on April 11, visiting a number of bars before going to Club Tropicana on Canal Street in Manchester’s Gay Village. She said she was asked to leave by the bar manager less than five minutes after she entered.
A video recorded by a friend and later posted on Instagram shows Haining talking to a manager whose face is blurred. She said she showed him the UK’s 2010 Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination against disabled people, and told him that asking her to leave was discrimination.
Hainin also said in the video that the manager threatened to hand her over the fines the venue could receive if it violated fire codes.
Ms Hainin, who described the incident as “embarrassing and upsetting”, told the BBC that when she arrived, security staff helped lift her wheelchair into the venue and told her it was OK for her and her friend to be there.
But when the friend went to the bar to get a drink, the bouncer told her he was “truly sorry” but had been instructed to leave. She requested to speak to a manager, who she described as “extremely rude.” The conversation was filmed by her friend.
She said her manager told her there was a “safety risk.”
“I asked, ‘Why was I a safety risk?’ If I was a potential safety risk, they wouldn’t have let me in in the first place,” Hainin said. “They didn’t explain why, but then the story changed to saying I was a fire risk.”
She said she had never encountered a similar situation, but as a disabled person she was well aware of her rights under the Equality Act. The law requires venues to make reasonable adjustments, such as adding ramps or elevators, to ensure access for disabled people, and refusing entry on the basis of disability may violate those protections. The manager didn’t back down.
Club Tropicana faced backlash online after Haining posted the video on social media, with many criticizing the nightclub. That Instagram account appears to have: was dropped off.
The nightclub initially said it had not been contacted directly by Haining but was aware of the incident, adding that an investigation was ongoing.
Club Tropicana has since released the results of its investigation, apologized to Haining and told him the manager he spoke with has been fired, according to British Media Group. LAD Bible. The nightclub also said it would review its staff training procedures and consider improving accessibility to prevent similar situations, according to the report. Manchester Evening New Arrivals.
“As management, we take full responsibility for the treatment of Ms. Madison that night,” nightclub owners said in a statement. “This was completely indefensible, unacceptable and appalling. We would like to once again sincerely apologize for the stress and embarrassment Madison experienced at the venue.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
