A nightclub’s bizarre new rule has Aussies sharing their… love stories?
- Replies 22
Nightclubs are infamous for chaotic parties and uncomfortable interactions, so some business owners have taken the necessary steps to provide club-goers with a safer place to unwind. But is it possible to overdo the initiative?
Sydneysiders shared the heart-melting ways they met their significant others after Club 77 banned ‘unwanted staring’, which requires verbal consent to be granted before any engagement is made whatsoever with patrons.
Club 77's updated safety and harassment policy aims to protect all patrons from concerning behaviour by creating ‘a safer and truly open space for our club goers and employees’.
‘Unwanted staring’ is a no-no in this club! Source: Unsplash
Staring was then used as an example of ‘concerning behaviour’ on their website.
‘We operate a zero-tolerance policy on harassment of any kind. Club 77 is not a place to come to if your sole purpose is to “pick up”. If you do come in and are approaching multiple people or giving unwanted attention to someone, you are going to attract the attention of our security, who have been instructed to stop this kind of behaviour.’ the club's policy states.
The policy emphasises that Club 77 does encourage interaction with strangers, but any engagement ‘must begin with verbal consent’.
‘This also applies if you are, for example, staring at someone from afar. If the attention you are giving someone is unwanted, that is considered harassment.’
Questions about how the rule could be properly monitored have been raised, but the club’s owner, Dane Gorrel, clarified that the venue has a designated Safety Officer who is available to support those who make reports about any type of behaviour that makes them uncomfortable.
Source: @club77sydney
Fans of 2GB's Ben Fordham Live called into the show to detail their love stories in response to the controversial rule. One of the listeners, Elaine, revealed the romantic way she met her husband of 58 years, Ian, when she was 21.
‘My girlfriend and I went to a hotel in Liverpool. About two tables away, there was this very handsome young soldier,’ Elaine started off the story.
‘Every time I looked over, he was looking at me, and I was looking at him.’ she continued.
Knowing that she captured his attention and wanting him to come over, Elaine pretended to drop something on the floor and made sure it rolled towards where Ian was sitting. Well, her cheeky strategy worked!
The gentleman picked the item up, approached her and said: 'My name's Ian. Can I take you out one day?’
Elaine happily obliged and gave the then-28-year-old her phone number.
Elaine and Ian were happily married for 58 years. Source: 9News
Several years later, the couple tied the knot in 1964 and eventually had three children. They were married for 58 years before the love of her life sadly passed seven years ago.
Another caller, Cynthia, said she fell in love with her husband of 48 years when she locked eyes with his ‘big blue eyes’ from across a beach as he emerged from the waves, carrying a surfboard with one arm. Sounds like something that would happen in a cheesy movie, eh? But we love it!
One more caller, Carmel, told Fordham that she met her husband of over 40 years when she couldn't stop staring at him in the hospital.
‘My husband broke his leg in Perisher and ended up in the same ward in Cooma with my uncle. I would have been banned from the nightclub because I thought he looked good and my uncle convinced me to go up to him.’ she joked.
Ben Fordham himself also shared how he stumbled across his wife of 11 years. He said it was love at first sight, as he caught a glimpse of her at his friend’s 40th birthday party.
Fordham said that he had always loved Jodie Speers' voice over the radio back when she was a crime reporter, and when he caught sight of her across the room he was completely blown away.
The radio host described it as ‘love at first sight’. Source: Daily Telegraph
‘I turned to someone and asked, “Who's that?” My friend said that it was Jodie Speers.’
‘And I went, “Oh. That's Jodie Speers”.’
After their first date, Fordham immediately knew she was ‘the one’. A year and a half later, he proposed.
In an interview, Club 77’s owner added: ‘Realistically, the way that we're sort of looking at things is that any unwanted attention is considered harassment.’ Gorrel explained, noting that the example of staring is only if it has made the subject of the gaze uncomfortable, not if it is consensual and mutual like in the stories above.
‘Anything without consent is harassment.’ he continued. ‘At the end of the day, anything that's unwanted or not consensual is not on anymore. We're just trying to take care of people at the end of the day.’
While thousands found the rule ridiculous, there were several who openly supported the initiative.
‘I am 100 per cent supporting this!’ one user declared, while another said ‘This is amazing! Positive party culture all the way!’
‘Wow, I love the idea of a safety officer!’ a third praised.
‘Thank you for keeping the safety of your patrons a priority.’ one more commented.
What are your thoughts on Club 77’s controversial rule? Is it reasonable or unnecessary? Dare we ask how YOU met your partner? Share your love stories with us in the comments! If you’re comfortable with sharing cheesy pictures, we’d be more than happy to see them too.
Sydneysiders shared the heart-melting ways they met their significant others after Club 77 banned ‘unwanted staring’, which requires verbal consent to be granted before any engagement is made whatsoever with patrons.
Club 77's updated safety and harassment policy aims to protect all patrons from concerning behaviour by creating ‘a safer and truly open space for our club goers and employees’.
‘Unwanted staring’ is a no-no in this club! Source: Unsplash
Staring was then used as an example of ‘concerning behaviour’ on their website.
‘We operate a zero-tolerance policy on harassment of any kind. Club 77 is not a place to come to if your sole purpose is to “pick up”. If you do come in and are approaching multiple people or giving unwanted attention to someone, you are going to attract the attention of our security, who have been instructed to stop this kind of behaviour.’ the club's policy states.
The policy emphasises that Club 77 does encourage interaction with strangers, but any engagement ‘must begin with verbal consent’.
‘This also applies if you are, for example, staring at someone from afar. If the attention you are giving someone is unwanted, that is considered harassment.’
Questions about how the rule could be properly monitored have been raised, but the club’s owner, Dane Gorrel, clarified that the venue has a designated Safety Officer who is available to support those who make reports about any type of behaviour that makes them uncomfortable.
Source: @club77sydney
Fans of 2GB's Ben Fordham Live called into the show to detail their love stories in response to the controversial rule. One of the listeners, Elaine, revealed the romantic way she met her husband of 58 years, Ian, when she was 21.
‘My girlfriend and I went to a hotel in Liverpool. About two tables away, there was this very handsome young soldier,’ Elaine started off the story.
‘Every time I looked over, he was looking at me, and I was looking at him.’ she continued.
Knowing that she captured his attention and wanting him to come over, Elaine pretended to drop something on the floor and made sure it rolled towards where Ian was sitting. Well, her cheeky strategy worked!
The gentleman picked the item up, approached her and said: 'My name's Ian. Can I take you out one day?’
Elaine happily obliged and gave the then-28-year-old her phone number.
Elaine and Ian were happily married for 58 years. Source: 9News
Several years later, the couple tied the knot in 1964 and eventually had three children. They were married for 58 years before the love of her life sadly passed seven years ago.
Another caller, Cynthia, said she fell in love with her husband of 48 years when she locked eyes with his ‘big blue eyes’ from across a beach as he emerged from the waves, carrying a surfboard with one arm. Sounds like something that would happen in a cheesy movie, eh? But we love it!
One more caller, Carmel, told Fordham that she met her husband of over 40 years when she couldn't stop staring at him in the hospital.
‘My husband broke his leg in Perisher and ended up in the same ward in Cooma with my uncle. I would have been banned from the nightclub because I thought he looked good and my uncle convinced me to go up to him.’ she joked.
Ben Fordham himself also shared how he stumbled across his wife of 11 years. He said it was love at first sight, as he caught a glimpse of her at his friend’s 40th birthday party.
Fordham said that he had always loved Jodie Speers' voice over the radio back when she was a crime reporter, and when he caught sight of her across the room he was completely blown away.
The radio host described it as ‘love at first sight’. Source: Daily Telegraph
‘I turned to someone and asked, “Who's that?” My friend said that it was Jodie Speers.’
‘And I went, “Oh. That's Jodie Speers”.’
After their first date, Fordham immediately knew she was ‘the one’. A year and a half later, he proposed.
In an interview, Club 77’s owner added: ‘Realistically, the way that we're sort of looking at things is that any unwanted attention is considered harassment.’ Gorrel explained, noting that the example of staring is only if it has made the subject of the gaze uncomfortable, not if it is consensual and mutual like in the stories above.
‘Anything without consent is harassment.’ he continued. ‘At the end of the day, anything that's unwanted or not consensual is not on anymore. We're just trying to take care of people at the end of the day.’
While thousands found the rule ridiculous, there were several who openly supported the initiative.
‘I am 100 per cent supporting this!’ one user declared, while another said ‘This is amazing! Positive party culture all the way!’
‘Wow, I love the idea of a safety officer!’ a third praised.
‘Thank you for keeping the safety of your patrons a priority.’ one more commented.
What are your thoughts on Club 77’s controversial rule? Is it reasonable or unnecessary? Dare we ask how YOU met your partner? Share your love stories with us in the comments! If you’re comfortable with sharing cheesy pictures, we’d be more than happy to see them too.
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