Gays at receiving end of bias claim

[kweerwolf]

They are among the most maligned groups in society, but when it comes to discrimination, many say, gays can give as good as they get.

A city investigation of S.F. Badlands, one of the largest and most popular bars in the heart of the Castro neighborhood, has added evidence to that argument. In April, the San Francisco Human Rights Commission found that the bar discriminated against African American customers and job applicants.

That finding, which is vigorously disputed by the bar's owner, is elevating the murmurs of racism in the gay community to a national discussion. National gay media have followed the controversy, and comedian Margaret Cho blogged about the bar -- and racism -- after a tour stop in San Francisco.

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The human rights commission found that Natali had referred to African Americans as "non-Badlands customers" and had denied them entry by requiring them to show multiple forms of identification and by inconsistently applying a dress code and a "no bag" rule.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/06/26/MNG27DF8I21.DTL