St Kilda gay club puts rowdy hens in the pen at the GH Hotel

UPDATE: A ST KILDA gay bar is cracking down on brides-to-be with a strict hens’ party policy - including a fenced-off “hens’ pen”.

The GH Hotel tolerates women unlike many other gay bars across Melbourne, but has created

ST KILDA gay bar the GH Hotel is cracking down on brides-to-be with a tough new hens’ party policy.

The new rules, launched this month, warn hens to book ahead, dress appropriately and be respectful of gay patrons, noting: “Whilst marriage equality is something we are still fighting for, please remember that not every patron will feel the same excitement about your special day as you do.”

The women are corralled in their own fenced area, called the hens’ pen, but the Leader has been told they are known to escape and wreak havoc on the dance floor.

“Hens do not have an automatic right to special attention from our drag queens while on stage,” the policy continues. “Any interaction will strictly be at our discretion.”

And hens “must not harass DJs with song requests”.

Hens are no longer eligible for general admission and must buy a pre-booked package, with numbers limited.

>> Should rowdy hens be rounded up? Tell us below or at the Port Phillip Leader Facebook page.

The new GH hens’ guidelines aims to protect the resident cabaret performers from unwanted attention. Picture: GH Facebook page

Regular patron and Joy FM broadcaster Peter De Groot said he recently saw a bride-to-be strip naked at the venue.

“I said to her, ‘Come on, that’s inappropriate. What would your mother think?’— and I turned around and there was her mum trying to snog the security guard, who was not interested by the way,” De Groot said.

“What it comes down to is that the gay community doesn’t like being treated like a zoo.”

The GH Hotel is rare among Melbourne gay clubs in tolerating a female presence, with Collingwood’s Peel Hotel and Sircuit Bar known to deny entry to women.

Both venues went to the state planning tribunal to gain exceptions to discrimination laws, allowing them to exercise this discretion.

The new GH policy also requires hens to submit any challenge cards for pre-approval by management, to avoid dares that could offend.

In previous incidents, De Groot said, hens had approached gay men to ask them for their underwear.

“You’d be shocked,” he said.

“I can see both sides of it — hens want to feel like they’re included, so if they’re stuck in a pen ... If they’re well behaved, they’re fine.”

The hotel’s announcement of the new policy on its Facebook page drew more than 150 comments, ranging from supportive to outraged.

“This is beyond a joke,” commented Ellie Louise Onofrio.

“The GLBT community should know better then to generalise ... (and) there are plenty of women reading this who SUPPORT your community that will feel attacked by that.”

And Brandon James Cook weighed in: “Straight people need to understand that those are our safe spaces. If they want to go have their hens night out they can go just about anywhere in the world.”

But GH Hotel events, functions and operations manager Nick O’Brien said he was getting positive feedback from patrons.

“We’re a venue that’s open to a broad range of the community… we walk a very fine tightrope in making sure all our guests are feeling comfortable and happy,” Mr O’Brien said.

“We don’t have a problem with any section of society, but Friday and Saturday nights are skewed towards the gay community.”

He said the policy was brought in to make expectations clear, and offered hens a premium experience with their own host to take drinks orders.

“Before, we had to deal with them on a case-by-case basis,” he said.

“One week they’d be fine, conducting themselves like ladies; then another week, it would be more comparable to a Mad Monday football session.”

Last September, St Kilda footballer Clinton Jones apologised after setting a dwarf entertainer’s clothes alight during Mad Monday celebrations, which mark the end of the AFL season.