Australia: Hotel security guards sacked following accusations of homophobic slurs
Two hotel security guards in Melbourne have lost their jobs following accusations of homophobic slurs directed at patrons on Sunday evening.
A man was ejected from the Prahan pub at 19:15 on Sunday, after he complained to security staff that another group of males had been making homophobic remarks.
He claimed that the bouncers who threw him out had said: “What do you want us to do? This is not a gay bar”, before kicking him out.
The victim had been celebrating a friend’s birthday, and said that he was “struck”, twice during the incident, reports the Age.
The patron whose birthday they were celebrating said the group had received homophobic slurs throughout the day from the group, and that they “certainly did not expect that response” after reporting the slurs to security.
The group said they would not return to the bar again.
Co-owner of the hotel Andy Mullins has confirmed that two bouncers have been sacked over the incident, following an internal investigation.
“After a thorough investigation today, we have determined that this incident was not handled appropriately by our security contractors, and as such, the two guards responsible will no longer be working at any Sand Hill Road establishments, including Prahran Hotel,” Mr Mullins said.
“The Sand Hill Road Group does not tolerate homophobic or other antisocial behaviour.”
He continued to say that he was on the “victim’s side”, however he did not comment on the allegations that security staff had “struck” the man.
