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Event organizers say they put a pay scale in place for their events -- charging white straight men the most -- due to the unfair economic imbalance in society.
A party hosted by a club in East London charged white straight men an entry fee up to six times more than black women or queer clubgoers and some are seething at the party's organizers.
The white men paid the equivalent of $152 compared to LGBTQ+ people of color who could get in for about $23, according to The Daily Mail. White LGBTQ+ clubgoers or nonwhite straight women could pay about $33.
The party organizers, Pxssy Palace, said on their website that the pricing scale would benefit poorer individuals who could attend for free. Funds also go to providing taxis home to trans and disabled partygoers.
It's also not enforced.
Some still criticized the recommended pricing scale. One Twitter user wrote, "They don't have discrimination laws in the UK?" according to The Daily Mail. Another posted, "This kind of equity is immoral and unjust."
Others defended the event, saying that it protects Black women who are often rejected from Central London clubs.
\u201cThere are hugely popular, successful clubs in Central London who turn away groups of Black women, whilst allowing groups of white women inside. It's been going on consistently for at least a decade. Will any journalists write about that? Plenty of first hand accounts online\u201d— Ruqaiya (@Ruqaiya) 1643732325
Users also pointed to the lack of enforcement.
\u201c@colinbrazierGBN Maybe read their FAQ before trying to start some fake twitter outrage situation. \ud83e\udd37\u201d— Colin Brazier (@Colin Brazier) 1643704798
Pxssy Palace officials say they are prioritizing the groups for whom the party is for. The group hosts events celebrating LGBTQ+ and people of color, according to Dazed.
On their website they say the scale is a guide: "We do not police this, you make this decision on how you feel you should pay."
But the idea behind the scale is simple. They told Dazed, "The idea behind the tiers is to respond to the unfair economic imbalance that exists within our society. The gender pay gap between women and men are just the first of many disparities within the trans, nonbinary, Black, indigenous and people of color community."
"The tiers help us prioritize these groups as they are who the party is for. Our tier system works in much the same way as the concession model whereby students, families or pensioners are offered concession tickets to widen accessibility. There aren't a lot of places that BIPOC queer women, trans, and nonbinary people can go to and feel welcomed, never mind a place where they are actually embraced and supported," Pxssy Palace added.
In response to the criticism leveled at them, Pxssy Palace officials said they hoped people take a minute to understand why they are upset in the first place.
"We are just one club fighting to tackle the multitudes of disparities our community faces, and we hope this inspires people who are also creating spaces for people with protected characteristics," they said.
