But one thing that’s clear is that the controversy has put community members and even groups of friends - literally - on opposite sides of the fence. to 8 p.m., which charged $8 per cup for unlimited refills of beer, this week raising funds for HIV prevention group “Hey Denver!” For the most part, patrons and the vastly-outnumbered protesters on the corner of 17th and Logan kept a quiet distance from each other. The Wrangler was packed with people participating in Sunday’s Beer Bust running from 4 p.m. “That’s a good approach if you want to understand something, go straight to the source,” he said. He said the recent attention to the policy has “helped clear misconceptions about what the policy is - we’ve seen a huge influx of women, straight couples and transgender people wanting to come in and test the waters for themselves,” Newland said. The beauty of our policy is it’s so consistent to avoid discrimination and favoritism - it’s 100 percent the same for everyone.” “It is a reasonable expectation under the law that an individual look like their government-issued photo ID. If we have to squint or imagine what they look like, my staff calls me over. “It’s not a gender issue at all, we don’t look at ‘M’ or ‘F,'” he said. Still, Newland said, the focus on the Wrangler’s ID policy has been an opportunity to clarify what Newland says has been the policy since 2008, and reiterate exactly what procedure the Wrangler will follow. My job is to meet my customers’ demands.” “They sent me a list of demands,” Newland said, “and when people send me a list of demands I don’t respond well. Marzano said he wants to sit down with the Wrangler’s management, with the help of a mediator, to find an “equitable solution,” but the bar declined. I would come for charity events if the policy changed.” “We want to support the Wrangler but want the policy to change. “I’ve been watching the discussion between the Wrangler and the protest group, and feel our requests for a dialog have been denied,” she said. McGrath said some transgender people face legal or financial obstacles that prevent them from updating their ID photos, and gender expression is often more complex than ID cards show. An entire portion of our community is being denied access.”
“There’s a belief that gender identity and drag queens are two separate things, but in reality there’s crossover. I have many customers who are trans men and women, and having an appearance-matching ID means they could get in quite easily.”īut protester Cait McGrath said she hasn’t seen enough of an effort from the Wrangler to address the protesters’ concerns.”I see what they’re trying to get at, but don’t agree,” she said. “I think they’re exercising their rights,” Newland said as he looked on at the protesters from the bar entrance, “but my policy simply states that we have to be able to tell you are who you say you are, and that’s not going to change.
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State law, which requires that bars refuse alcohol to minors, allows establishments to set their own policies on how to ensure that doesn’t happen, while another state law prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Since the boycott started, the Wrangler has stated its entrance policy has nothing to do with gender identity or whether an ID card’s gender marker is ‘M’ or ‘F’ - that the policy addresses only the appearance of the person compared to the appearance in the photo ID. “What we’re doing is trying to raise awareness about the discriminatory policy - we can’t fight for our rights against the right wing if we can’t be confident in our own community.” “It’s not about the one incident I had, but the whole policy,” Marzano said.