PRESS RELEASE
MONDAY, AUGUST 06, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Further Surge Women and Trans Bar Night Update

As many of you may know last week Heart of the Flag Federation Inc. (HOTF) received threats of legal action from various members of the community regarding our first ever attempt to provide our leather dykes, queer women and transgendered persons with a safe place to celebrate leather pride in an actual leather bar.

Due to the outcry from so many of you regarding these threats, we have since then received apology and retraction emails from all but one of the persons who threatened legal action against us regarding the segregation issue. Thank you to those who sent us their emails and for putting the community first.

We also received helpful information from Carlyle Jansen ofGood for Her, which she received from a lawyer acquaintance that will allow us to host the Surge Women and Trans bar night without violating the Ontario policy or our own policy on anti-discrimination. We deeply thank them both of them for their assistance, as we are a not-for-profit organization with very limited resources that may have not otherwise obtained this information as readily.

Please see the information that was provided below.

“Section 15(2 of the Charter, as interpreted in R v. Kapp, protects “affirmative action.” So does section 14 of the Ontario Human Rights Code as interpreted in OHRC v Roberts. The test is whether you are making a distinction to benefit a historically marginalized group – women and trans folks both count. In that case, it is not discrimination, it is advancing human rights.”

With the receipt of this beneficial information and after consulting the Black Eagle we are very pleased to announce that we have reconsidered our decision from last week’s press release and have reinstated the Surge Women and Trans Bar Night on Friday, August 10, 2012 at 10:00 PM as a closed event. The bar night will proceed as before, but with the event open to everyone with exception of cis-gendered males.

Cis-gendered males are invited to join the other attendees at the Fetish Gear bar night beginning at 11:00 PM.

It is our hope, if nothing else, the events of the last week will help promote education and open a dialog within our community to achieve an even better understanding of leather dyke, queer women and transgender people issues.

We therefore invite each of you to come out and be a part of history in the making, as we watch as human rights advanced one step. All we ask that you please respect the space; respect other’s genders and respect other’s sexual orientation. Please understand that HOTF and the Black Eagle reserve the right to refuse entry and to expel anyone from the premise at any time. Together we make can make the original goal of HOTF/TLP attainable and enjoy what we are sure will be a successful event.