The Greencoat Boy pub in Westminster has refused to serve LGBT Labour members this evening at their post-AGM social.
The manager told members he would have refused their booking if he’d known it was for an LGBT group. The size of the group – shown here standing at the bar after they were refused service – shows just how much custom this pub was prepared to turn away:
This is illegal and the LGBT Labour comrades have reported it to the police as a hate crime:
In PR terms there are probably few more stupid things you can do than piss off LGBT Labour. ‘Greencoat Boy’ is currently the top Twitter trending topic in the UK. You can show your support on Facebook here. You can also take the following action, and I’d encourage you to do so:
– leave comments on online pub review sites such as Fancy A Pint and Beer in the Evening
– email the chain that runs The Greencoat Boy, Punch Taverns
– email Cllr Audrey Lewis, Chair of Licensing, Westminster Council
– if you’re a Labour supporter, join the fightback against homophobia and support your LGBT comrades by joining LGBT Labour.
Grace Fletcher-Hackwood 
The behaviour is so disgusting, can’t believe they thought it was acceptable or that they thought they could get away with it.
I’ve got a list of review sites where you can review the Greencoat Boy and reveal their illegal policies to the world.
http://bit.ly/9pIYMR
LGBTory express complete support for fellow LGBTs in LGBT Labour on this. We cannot believe this has taken place and will be raising the matter officially with the pub chain, the Chair of Westminster Council Licensing and with Mark Field, MP for the Cities of London and Westminster.
What is the procedure to put in an official complaint asking Westminster to review the pub’s licence, with a view to pulling it?
How’s about this? http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/business/businessandstreettradinglicences/licensing-act-2003/review-of-premises-licence-or-club-premises-certificate/
The manager should be sacked immediately. This is appalling. Well done for phoning the Police and reporting it as a hate crime though……hopefully criminal charges will follow and the manager will quite rightly find himself in court
I have just sent an e-mail to Cllr Audrey Lewis, urging her to immediately investigate this incident and to review the licence of the manager and premises.
I have also asked that she lets me know what action she has taken.
Legal action should be taken.
A little research has found that the licence for the Greencoat Boy is currently held by:
Spirit Group Ltd
107 Station St
Burton-on-Trent
DE14 1SZ
They can be e-mailed at: info@spiritgroup2000.com
Go on you know you want to!
I find it amusing that some of you gays feel the need to shout about your sexuality from the roof tops. Maybe you should understand that some people find what you do disgusting. I wouldn’t have served you either.
I find it amusing that you feel the need to shout your willingness to break the law from the rooftops.
There’s no shouting from the rooftops, it’s about making people aware of the discrimination which is unfortunately still embedded into our society. No doubt there are many people who would refuse to serve, but the law is the law and anything increasing awareness of a crime committed is no sin.
There is nothing disgusting about homosexuality, and those that share your views are nothing but a tiny minority of those in our broadly tolerant and accepting country.
You do understand that by declaring your sexuality you have just done the opposite? And indeed maybe you should understand why some people will find you very repulsive now, with some reason, as hating someone and being disgusted by someone because of their sexuality is asinine.
Even regardless of your personal idiotic prejudices if you are running a Pub you are breaking the law if you discriminate against someone because of their sexuality, and making a very silly business decision.
It may surprise you to know that I am not gay but still find that there are such clearly discriminatory views being held by some. Very few fortunately, but still abhorrent.
This is why we have laws to protect society from these bigots!
Alan, the law is there to protect LGBT people from the kind of bigotry you espouse.
It is not shouting about sexuality from the roof tops as you put it. It is about campaigning for equality, as we clearly have not achieved equality yet.
It’s people like you that make me embarrassed to be British.
narrow minded loser
Troll much, fuckwit?
Well said, Alan
Alan, how is having a drink ‘flaunting’ ourselves. Understand this, gay people face a straight world every day with no issue.
It is not too much to ask for a pub manager to welcome paying customers in a time of recession, and who are backed by a law that upholds the principles of equality.
well the management is now different at the green coat boy and i can say that the current people in charge would not turn any body away,I am a gay man and employed at the green coat and enjoy the job greately
Commenter 13. I find your poorly disguised homophobia disgusting. Sexuality isn’t a choice, bigotry is.
Personally I find the thought of what straight people get up to pretty gross, but that doesn’t stop me respecting them and treating them as equal human beings. Why – some of my best friends are straight!
Punch Taverns run a vast number of pubs and nationally they must have huge numbers of gay customers. Or did! Got to go – some emails to send!
Oh Alan. I find you disgusting… Deal with it. You are a vile man who has to hide behind a keyboard to spread your bigotted unwelcome comments. You might just be vile… Or is it case you’ve just been knocked back too many times?
Are you sure it wasn’t because you were Labour? Most pub landlords hate Labour for what they’ve done to the trade.
Hello!!!!!!!! Wakey Wakey guys!!!! out of proportion slighlty and blown!!! words springing to mind right now. We have equal rights, a licensee has the right to refuse service, so you wernt drunk, but I can harldy imagine you were quiet either and you werent the only customers in the pub!!!! Get a grip and chill out hit the news when ya partener sh**gs ya sister jesus christ!!!
Oh and Alan you are a tad childish!! grow up
Ok so someone answer this. How did the pub manager know that you were all gay/ I have never heard of LGBT. So clearly someone in the party must have either announced it. Maybe its that that some people find affensive. I understand that you might dissagree with what i have to say. But if your group turned up for drink as has been claimed im sure there wouldn’t have been a problem. But i’d guess that someone or all or you were flaunting you sexuality and that is what the Manager deemed offensive.
Just a thought.
I don’t see why this is such an issue. Pubs can let in whomever they wish, and if they want to keep out the gays, all power to them.
The gays are JUST as bad. My group got kicked out of the Flying Hambag in Blackpool because we were “straight”.
They said it was a ‘private bar for members only’ and were exceptionally hostile and even more eager to see us drink elsewhere when all we wanted was a quiet pint!
I didn’t kick up a fuss about it!
I find it quite sad when gay bars do that to straight customers. Understandable if the straight customer’s are causing a problem but refused because you are straight is just as bad, and just as illegal, as refusal if you are gay.
Karis. Your comparison has no foundation. You even state that the reason you were “kicked out” was because it was a “private bar for members only”. I take it you were not a member.
It is not illegal to refuse entry, or to serve non members. However it would be illegal to refuse to allow you to become a member because of your sex or sexuality.
It is illegal to discriminate against any person because of their sex or sexuality in connection with the provision of goods or services.
Therefore to refuse to serve someone in a public house just because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans, or for that matter straight, is against the law.
Simples!
We are all receiving the same reply ….
Dear Mr O’Neil
Thank you for your email regarding the incident at the Greencoat Boy on Saturday night.
I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that Punch Taverns seeks to provide open and welcoming venues to everyone. We are shocked and saddened that the Labour LGBT did not experience this at The Greencoat Boy and have apologised unreservedly.
Across our estate, diversity and inclusion are a core part of our ethics and are clearly referenced in our recruitment process, our equal opportunities policy and training. We would like to stress that this is an isolated incident; we have a strong track record on equal opportunities and do not tolerate homophobia in our pubs, whether from guests to other guests, or involving our employees.
We are currently conducting a full investigation of the incident and are cooperating with the police. We have also arranged to meet with members of the LGBT Labour group this week to discuss how we can work together to further improve our policies and procedures.
In addition, we have contacted all of our general managers and pub teams to remind them of our equal opportunity policy and our no tolerance approach to discrimination. We will also seek to work with external partners to further enhance our training to ensure that inclusion remains at the heart of it.
Please be assured that we take this incident seriously and we remain committed to ensuring that all of our guests are welcome at our pubs.
Regards,
Giles Thorley
CEO
Good luck to the management. It should be at their discretion who they do and don’t serve. If they have the right to refuse entry to the Travelling community, they should not have to accomodate lesbians and queers if they do not wish to. I certainly would not relish drinking in the same establishment as those sort of ‘people’.
To put it quite simply so even the most dense can understand it:
It is illegal to discriminate against any person because of their sex or sexuality in connection with the provision of goods or services.
Therefore to refuse to serve someone in a public house because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans is against the law.
Simples!
‘These sort of people’. Does a person’s sexuality define who they are completely? I am disheartened that people can be so shallow. I wonder how they run their lives; they must be so judgemental with their children, for example; loving them only if they conform to what they perceive to be ‘normal’. People are people; it really is that simple. What restricted lives some of them must live; what a pity they can’t let go of their fear and embrace the richness that is diversity.