A nightclub in Sydney is cracking down on unwanted “staring” and will not tolerate it if the offending patrons do not receive “verbal consent.”
Club 77, which is located in the heart of the city in Darlinghurst, made the announcement about their new policy on the social media site Instagram. This came about as a result of the recent influx of customers who do not share their fundamental values.
The text of the post states, “As a nightclub, we encourage you to mingle with strangers. However, any engagement must begin with spoken agreement.”
“This is also true if, for instance, you are staring at someone from a considerable distance.
It is considered harassment if the person being harassed does not desire the attention that is being given to them.
According to the club, the policy was developed with the intention of providing a “safe atmosphere” for each and every customer.
They assert that Club 77 is not the place to go to if “your primary intention is to pick up,” but rather that it stimulates interactions with people who are not known to each other.
On the show Today, club owner Dane Gorrel was quoted as saying, “Anything done without consent is harassment.”
According to what he had to say, “We have worked hard in building this policy and developing it, and we hold close to our views at the club.”
“At the end of the day, all we want to do is take care of the people around us.”
Each night, Club 77 will designate one of their security guards as a “Safety Officer” in order to guarantee that the policies are carried out correctly and in accordance with best practises.
According to the club, the security guards have been given sufficient training in the management of “complaints and concerns,” as well as the process of ensuring that customers can readily differentiate between the two.
They are going to wear something called a “pink hi-vis vest.”