‘They should not be legal’: Man turned away from nightclub for anti-gay rant

WINNIPEG (CITYNEWS) – A local nightclub turned a man and his friend away after they were heard using offensive language, spurring a social media rant by one of the parties sent away.

WARNING: Some people may be offended by the language and/or content in the video

Reese Buhr was one of the men denied entry. He reacted by making a video.

Buhr starts by calling out 441 MAIN, saying he was just using the word “gay”. But he quickly launches into a tirade, saying he hates gay people and that they should be arrested like they used to be in the past simply because of their sexual orientation.

“I f***ing hate gays, let’s put that on the record. These f***ing queers were illegal 20 years ago, my grandparents would say what the f***, that’s f***ed man,” Buhr said in his video.

“And I’m with them on that sh**, this is bull****. They should not be legal, they should be f***ing illegal, they should be arrested they should be f***ing put in jail.”

Security at the bar overheard what Buhr was saying, and made the choice to deny him entry to the club.

“Fardad, who is one of our security guards, he is also my business partner here, was working the door that night. He witnessed someone [using] homophobic language. Obviously, he didn’t appreciate that, so he told the guy, ‘Sorry, you’re not going to come in tonight,'” explained bar co-owner Nikola Maharajh.

Later in the video posted to Twitter, Buhr said, “Do I hate gays? Yes! Where are my f***ing rights as a f***ing straight person? I have rights, not only queers have rights. I have a right to get in a club.”

Maharajh stands by the club’s decision to refuse Buhr entry. In response to the incident, 441 MAIN has posted LGBTQ+ flags on its social media accounts and is getting a flag to hang in the window outside of the bar.

“We really, like, preach equality here, doesn’t matter what race you are, gender you are, sexual orientation. We just really want everyone to feel comfortable, come have a good time on the weekend. So, if we let someone like that in, it’s going to ruin someone’s night.”

On its website, the bar writes, “We ask that above all, you’re kind to your neighbour. If a situation is to arise we encourage you to notify staff rather than taking matters into your own hands. We’re all friends here!”

Since posting the video, what appears to be Buhr’s Twitter account has been blocked by because “it violates the Twitter Media Policy”.

He’s also released an apology. he says he’s sorry to those he offended, he does not hate gays, and he understands security was just doing their job.

“I sincerely apologize to anyone I offended, and take full responsibility for my actions,” Buhr said.

Buhr didn’t respond to our requests for an interview, but many people on social media say his apology isn’t sincere and borders on threatening.