Boycott Reggie’s. They’re a bunch of dicks — allegedly.
A couple weekends ago, a gay couple was abused outside of Reggie’s Bar in Tigerland. The couple, who have chosen to appear in the media as Kevin and Steve, sustained various injuries including a broken nose.
The couple maintains they were attacked by Reggie’s employees outside the building because they were dancing at a public bar. A Reggie’s employee told them to “take it elsewhere” — allegedly.
What could this employee have been referring to? Obviously not their drinks because they were in a bar. Could they have perhaps been getting a little too jiggy with it on the dance floor? Unlikely. The employee was surely referring to the couple’s sexuality.
The problem I have with this situation, besides everything, is that if two girls were seen dancing at Reggie’s, they would have been treated to free drinks by the bar staff for the rest of the evening. But God forbid two males dance with each other, or else the bar staff will beat the hell out of them — allegedly.
Reggie’s obviously disputes this whole account, saying that the individuals were confronted because they were believed to be underage and in possession of alcohol. So I imagine that Reggie’s employees then proceeded to confront every 18-year-old sorority freshman in the bar because nobody gets away with underaged drinking in Baton Rouge. Ever.
Kevin and Steve claim that police were in the area, yet did nothing about the incident. This could be because Tigerland is a crowded area and the police were unaware of the incident, or because the police were too busy handing out minor-in-possession tickets from an inconspicuous light blue Ford Taurus.
This event does not come as a surprise to me. I mean, we’re talking about Tigerland here. It’s dominated by Southern white people, which as history shows us, has never been the most tolerant demographic.
As for now, I propose two things.
First, a boycott of Reggie’s. If bar employees were indeed involved, they should lose their jobs. I’m sure they’ll find jobs elsewhere. Meathead bigots with no brains must be in demand somewhere.
Secondly, we need better police presence in the Tigerland area. I realize police cannot be everywhere at once, but for a violent crime to occur while officers are 100 feet away is unacceptable by even the most basic standards. If there was an MIP squad in the area that night, I see that as a misallocation of resources. Preventing violent crime takes precedence over writing kids tickets for possession of alcohol when drinking is this state’s most cherished pastime.
Events like these are unacceptable. Kevin, Steve and all gay couples have the right to dance and show affection in a bar just like everybody else. So let’s stop acting like Tigerland is a classy place where individuals always maintain their composure and never vomit on the person they plan to have sex with later, and allow everyone to be trashy and dance with whomever they want.
What happened to Kevin and Steve on Reggie’s watch is unacceptable. Those responsible should be severely punished in hopes that they might one day become decent individuals who view homosexuals as equals, not as punching bags.
But for now, boycott Reggie’s. They hate gays — allegedly.
 
Parker Cramer is a 20-year-old political science junior from Houston, Texas. Follow him on Twitter @tdr_pcramer.
 
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Contact Parker Cramer at [email protected]