In My Opinion: It’s not safe to be queer in Christchurch
By John Ross , Tom Levesque and Zoe Madden-Smith
The last time Sam Gibson held another guy’s hand on a night out in Christchurch someone yelled at him: “get out of the road you gay cunt.”
Sam says he hasn’t been clubbing in Christchurch without someone lobbing a slur at him.
It happens so often, he’s just gotten used to it. But it’s the younger queer people in Christchurch the 25-year-old worries about.
“For some 18 year old like me who moved from rural New Zealand to the ‘big city’ feeling like they can finally be out of the closet and safe, to come into the environment where that is the consequence for being yourself in town is pretty grim.
“It’s scary and it’s not safe,” he says.
Christchurch’s only gay bar called out for being transphobic
Despite being New Zealand’s second largest city, Christchurch only has one gay bar.
But Cruz, the only gay bar in town, has faced backlash for posting transphobic messaging on their Facebook page.
In 2019 they made a sign that people saw as transphobic.
The sign read: “To avoid confusion our bar staff do not have vaginas and are known as barmen”.
The Facebook post blew up with commenters accusing the bar of failing to provide a safe space for diverse people in the queer community.
One person commented: “As a queer woman I feel pretty damn put off from your bar now.”
The Cruz Facebook account responded: “Maybe open a bar for ‘queer women’. You are not our target market, sorry.”
In another comment the Cruz account said: “It’s a great shame the male gay scene got hijacked by the extremist fractions.”
More recently in October 2021, Cruz shared transphobic posters on their Facebook page that read: “Gay not queer” and “No one is born is the wrong body”.
Sam says he might be welcome at Cruz Bar because he is white cis-gendered gay man.
“But my female friends won’t be welcome, my trans friend won’t be welcome,” he says.
“So how can they can they call themselves a gay bar?”
Christchurch’s ‘straight dress code’
Without a queer nightlife strip like Auckland’s Karangahape Road, people in the queer community in Christchurch say going out feels like a heteronormative performance because most bars have a formal button-up shirt and nice boots dress code.
Ash Nobari (left) and Sam Gibson. Photo: Re: News
Ash Nobari says Christchurch is one of the only towns in New Zealand where he has noticed such a strict dress code.
Ash has been turned away from bars for wearing Doc Martin boots, nail polish and even a Prada mesh top that cost $800.
“We’ve all got to go home, get changed and I’ve got to get myself looking as hetero as I can.
“I will censor myself a huge amount which is painful for me to do. But I censor myself so I'm not
immediately visible in a room because I stick out like a sore thumb here.”
Christchurch needs a safe queer space
Friends Jade Doglione and Ben O’Connell say the queer community in Christchurch is desparently waiting for a safe place to achor their community.
Jade Doglione (left) and Ben O’Connell Photo: Re: News
“Like hungry people on Survivor talk about food, queer people in Christchurch dream about a place where they can exchange ideas and have a calm chill time,” Ben says.
Jade wants a place where you wouldn’t have to hesitate if you put your arm around a partner or even kiss them.
“Or maybe for people who want to experiment with their gender expression having a safe place to do that,” she says.
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