A gay nightclub in New Zealand stoked backlash for displaying a sign suggesting that gender is inextricable with biology and that there are only two of them.
CRUZ, the only gay bar in Christchurch, New Zealand, put a sign outside their business that says “XY = Male XX = Female,” which prompted outrage from some social media users who accused the establishment of transphobia.
“Cruz is a transphobic bar in New Zealand,” one user wrote. “Fixed that for you.”
The business also took to Facebook to post a picture of the sign with a caption that read, “Women are a biological reality.”
Responding to a Facebook user who was angered by that sentiment, CRUZ’s official Twitter account claimed that many gay and lesbian people are frightened of speaking out against the transgender movement.
“[U]nfortunately many gay and lesbian targeted businesses are afraid to call this out for what it is,” the club wrote. “That’s how things came to get as far as they have with the trans madness!”
CRUZ has been accused of transphobia before, according to New Zealand outlet Stuff. In 2019, they made headlines when they put out a sign that read, “To avoid confusion, our staff do not have vaginas and are known as barmen.”
As with their most recent sign, the club posted a picture of it on Facebook and wrote, “Life gets so confusing. At CRUZ we do our bit to try and keep things simple.” Hundreds responded to the 2019 post by accusing the bar of discriminating against lesbians and transgender people.
Jennifer Shields, a trans advocate in Christchurch, told the outlet at the time that the sign “rests in transphobia.”
“The sign itself and Cruz’s attitude is one that rests in transphobia, but also is very much in opposition to these ideas of inclusion and acceptance that are quite critical to our community and New Zealand in general,” she said.
The page’s administrator responded to many of the negative comments in 2019, including one response that said, “It’s a great shame the male gay scene got hijacked by the extremist factions, but I suppose you only have to look at the Auckland Pride fiasco to see where it all ends up.”
