The Queens Nightclub in Barrie, Ont., has come under fire for a costume event called “Naughty School Girl Night” that women’s advocates are calling misogynistic.
The event, which is taking place Friday night, is encouraging women to “get out the sexiest school girl outfit you can find and hit the dance floor.”
After news of the event was shared online, people were quick to call out the nightclub for what was dubbed as an “out of date” theme that promotes “sexism” and “pedophilia.”
“We were very disappointed to see the sign come up, and that’s not a new thing in our city,” said Teresa MacLennan, executive director of the Women and Children’s Shelter of Barrie (WCSB).
“But we’re surprised, and we’re shocked because we thought we had made more progress in terms of talking about the rights of women and trying to knock down the misogyny that continues to exist everywhere.”
“I do believe that it does promote pedophilia because you have people reading that sign and who could be very excited in the thought of young girls, young girls, and wearing little schoolgirl uniforms. It is completely unacceptable, and it is promoting that.”
MacLennan said she is proud of the women in the community who have spoken out about the event but said the fact it is happening in the first place shows “we have a lot more work to do.”
“It is not acceptable in this modern age that we are continuing to sexualize young girls and that the misogyny continues.”
The nightclub’s Instagram post promoting the event was filled with negative reactions, with some pushing for the theme of the night to be changed while others called it “creepy,” “gross,” and said it “promotes rape culture and the sexualization of young girls.”
The sign promoting the night outside the Queens has since been taken down, and comments on the Instagram post turned off and no longer visible. Global News has screenshots of the original post.
The Queens Hotel and Queens Nightclub co-owner told Global News that it removed the sign outside the building “out of respect” after a person called to complain, but said the event is going ahead as scheduled.
- Posters promoting ‘Steal From Loblaws Day’ are circulating. How did we get here?
- Video shows Ontario police sharing Trudeau’s location with protester, investigation launched
- Canadian food banks are on the brink: ‘This is not a sustainable situation’
- Solar eclipse eye damage: More than 160 cases reported in Ontario, Quebec
“The Queens Hotel has nothing but respect for women, and we support them when there are complaints lodged against customers who may be doing things inappropriate towards women, and we’ve always taken the side of ladies,” said Queens co-owner Chris Terrard.
Terrard also pointed out that the theme is one that other establishments have also run in the past, with the Alley Night Club holding a “Back to School Party” last week. Photos of the event posted to the Alley’s Facebook page show some patrons dressed as school girls and using dildos as props.
“I totally understand the ladies are talking about rape culture, things like that, and they have every right. You need to protect the women in society, but then let’s go after everybody, not just one establishment,” Terrard said.
“It’s a costume party. People are commenting about pedophilia and things like that, and I’m thinking, go to the Stage Shop and the Halloween store; they sell these costumes.”
Speaking about the event, Terrard said the decision on whether to wear a schoolgirl costume is up to the people attending, noting it’s not obligatory for anyone.
Terrard said that the event is one that the club’s previous owners had run in the past, and that it was female staff members’ idea to bring back.
“There was no intention on the Queens Hotel staff members or the Queens to offend anybody, and that’s why we took to sign down.”
But For MacLennan, taking down the sign is not enough.
“The owners of the restaurant need to be responsible for their decision about putting up a sign, going ahead with an event that is clearly wrong. I hope that they learn from this experience,” MacLennan said.
Shelly-Ann Skinner, founder of Uplift Black and a member of the WCSB Women’s Advocacy Council, told Global News when she heard about the event, it was very concerning since two days after the costume theme’s night, a Pride Prom event in support of Uplift Black is being held at the Queens.
Skinner said she is in talks with the organizers of Sunday’s event to develop the next steps but did not say if it would be cancelled.
“When I saw that, it was a huge red flag for me. Here we are, an organization working towards inclusion, gender equality, and racial equity. How can we go into a space like that if that’s how they’re advertising their venue?” Skinner said.
“School girls are children. We have to step away from this. We cannot live in a society that allows it to be normalized. It is harmful, and we have been trying to fight so desperately for change.”
Comments