An LGBT Campus Cupid speed dating event that was set to take place last month was moved to a different date and venue, still to be announced, after complaints from the community that they were uncomfortable with the venue initially chosen for the event.
This was according to Catherine Channing, manager of Stellenbosch University’s (SU) central events and conferencing office. Campus Cupid is an initiative of this office.
The LGBT Campus Cupid speed dating event was set to be hosted at Dorp Bar on 14 February.
An LGBT speed dating session was to be held at Dorp Bar, as advertised in a now-deleted post, but had been postponed following backlash from the community. PHOTO: Instagram/SU Just Kidding
“We cancelled the LGBT event at Dorp Bar after consulting with each person that messaged us with a complaint,” said Channing. “The reason is that we don’t want to host an event at a venue where the community does not feel comfortable.”
Past controversy
According to Keithan Fortuin, an SU student, his discomfort with the venue stemmed from an October 2021 incident in which a non-binary student was allegedly forcibly removed from Dorp Bar after using the women’s bathroom.
“Ever since that incident I haven’t been to Dorp and I will not go back there,” said Fortuin.
Praise Chasela, another SU student, said that for Dorp Bar to host an event for queer people knowing that they haven’t been “a comfortable space for the community historically” was “a slap in the face”. Chasela was referring to the same incident from 2021.
“It made me very mad,” said Chasela about her reaction to the event being hosted at Dorp Bar.
Dorp Bar can be found on Andringa Street in Stellenbosch PHOTO: Connor Cogill
Meanwhile, there have been changes at the establishment since the incident, stated Marcus Oosthuizen, co-owner of Dorp Bar. “There was an issue regarding the unisex bathroom. We still have our male and female bathrooms, but we’ve got a unisex bathroom to accommodate the needs of non-binary individuals,” said Oosthuizen.
Oosthuizen added that the security individual involved in the incident “is no longer with us”.
The upstairs men’s bathroom at Dorp Bar has been acting as the “genderless bathroom” while awaiting genderless signage, according to Stephan Lubbe, co-owner of Dorp Bar. PHOTO: Connor Cogill
A way forward
According to Alex Vink, manager of the Womxn and Queer Empowerment (WAQE) portfolio for SU’s Student Representative Council, establishments could go the extra mile to ensure the inclusivity and safety of queer people through “inclusivity training sessions for their employers and employees” and “a minimum of at least one gender neutral bathroom”.
“The queer community merely seeks decency, which is often denied to them. Companies need to work with queer people on campus, listen to their needs and make such changes. Only then will the queer community truly see themselves moving forward with such establishments,” said Vink.