News for Queer Women

‘Pink Pony’ Club In Sydney Faces Backlash For Plans To Cater “Specifically” To Gay Men

October 15, 2025
Chappell Roan

The club, which had originally shared plans to “vet the crowd,” has now stated it plans to rename itself following criticism.

Set to open in December on Sydney’s Oxford Street, the historic section of the city that is home to many LGBTQ spaces, the venue originally adopted the name ‘Pink Pony’ directly from a Chappell Roan song, according to Gay Sydney News. In her hit song, “Pink Pony Club,” Roan sings of a place where “boys and girls can all be queens every single day,” a seemingly ideal concept for an LGBTQ+ bar to promote. Famously, her song is inspired by her experience at The Abbey, a queer club in Los Angeles. Although Roan is an out lesbian and often sings of the sapphic experience, “Pink Pony Club” makes a point to be inclusive of the wider queer community. 

Sydney’s Pink Pony club took a different approach. Bar owner Kevin Du-Val, who also owns the Palms on Oxford club, released a mission statement, which caused quite a stir within the lesbian community. In the now-deleted post, Du-Val states the bar is “unashamedly inspired by its namesake song that resonates so profoundly in our community. In line with our experience and our passion PINK PONY is being created specifically for 18-35 (state of mind) Gay men.” 

Bar manager Michael Lewis added in an interview with Gay Sydney News, “The girls will be welcome, but it would certainly be our desire that it is predominantly gay boys, and when I say predominantly, I’m sort of talking 90 [percent] plus…Obviously we’ve got legal hurdles … in terms of how much we can vet the crowd while still complying with the law … but it is our intention for it to be predominantly gay.”

Related: Chappell Roan Finishes Sold-Out Tour With A Message To Queer Fans

These statements have been met with questions and criticisms from members of the queer community, specifically lesbians. Why reference a Chappell Roan song if your doors won’t be open to all lesbians? One user even raises the question, would Chappell even be allowed inside the club? 

Following the flood of unhappy responses (to say the least), the Pink Pony’s Instagram account was wiped on Tuesday, according to The Guardian Australia. The account’s name has been replaced with a new handle, @new.name.coming. Lewis confirms this decision, telling The Guardian, “We acknowledge and respect the very passionate feedback from the wider community and it is clear that it’s best to move forward with a different name for the new venue.” 

The account’s bio brags that the “multi-level dance space” is “for the LGBQTI community,” but a recent statement to Q News calls that claim into question. Lewis and Du-Val said they were “disappointed” by the backlash and were only attempting to create a “target demographic.” 

“Clearly we have unintentionally hit a raw nerve,” Lewis said, acknowledging the frustration online. However, he said, “The hate and vitriol being directed towards a small business trying to make a difference for their chosen market is a bit over the top.”

The venue’s choice to rename the club, rather than making it more inclusive (despite what its bio boasts) has not boded well online either.

Jedda Riley, a transgender woman and drag queen, told the Sydney Morning Herald that the bar’s choice was hurtful, but also underscores a deeper issue. 

“It’s just really solidified the fact that there is this undertone, this cultural problem, of you are not welcome … the queer scene in Sydney reeks of misogyny. They don’t create safe spaces for women, and particularly trans women…If we look at Oxford Street as a whole, where are the female spaces? Where are the female events?”

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