Tonight lawmakers will gather in Athens and will vote to change alcohol ordinances to hopefully dissipate racial and LGBT discrimination at local bars.
This comes a couple months after accusations were directed at General Beauregard’s in downtown Athens for allegedly having a drink menu that contained a racial slur. Athens Banner-Herald states that the resolution will give authorities the ability to suspend or revoke alcohol licenses to businesses that violate any state of federal anti-discrimination laws.
Bars in Athens have been known to hide behind, “dress code” and “private event” excuses to deny the entry of ethnic minorities and homosexuals into their establishments.
For example, here’s excerpts from a detailed survey Athens Banner-Herald held a few years ago:
“bouncer kept out a group of African American women from a bar with the excuse that they were wearing crop tops — my friend and I (both of whom are white) were just let into the bar and we too were wearing crop tops,” while another respondent claimed to have been “denied access because of my dress, and the bouncer said, ‘We don’t let fags in here.’”
Another respondent wrote a white male bouncer at one downtown bar “saw us, a group of well dressed black girls, coming and started to look weird. He proceeded to check our IDs and then on the last person, he claimed to have a ‘private party’ happening.”
