A Bachelorette Party Was Afraid of Catching HIV Inside a Gay Bar, and the Owners’ Clapback Was Epic
A woman asking to host a bachelorette party at Nectar Nightclub in the Philippines stepped right into it when she worried that she and her pals might catch HIV at the gay bar. In response, the Nectar Nightclub called her stupid and told her “Your business is not welcome,” in a clapback post which has since gone viral.
The woman seeking to host a bachelorette party at Nectar Nightclub contacted the gay bar on Facebook asking, “Is it safe here? Because my friend will celebrate her bachelorette party.”
“What do you mean safe?” the nightclub asked in response.
“I do respect the LGBT community,” the woman said. “But I’m worried about HIV infection. Because a lot of gays nowadays are vulnerable to HIV. I’m just worried that a lot of gays coming there have HIV. No disrespect and I’m sorry.”
The nightclub then responded, “We advise you to read a little more about HIV before you infect our club with your stupidity. That’s more contagious. Take your bachelorette party to a straight club. Your business is not welcome at Nectar.”
In a Facebook post sharing a screenshot of the chat (entitled, “Dear Straight Bigots”), the Nectar Nightclub wrote, “As you can imagine, we were horrified that someone had the nerve to offend us while asking about a celebration with their ‘straight’ friends within our LGBTQ+ establishment. Their ignorance about HIV was appalling and the … shrieking insult to celebrate a party of marriage in one of our clubs when we ourselves don’t have the right to marry the person we love (here in the Philippines) was downright straight-privilege nonsense.”
Some Facebook commenters criticized the bar for not taking the opportunity to educate the person looking to host a bachelorette party at Nectar Nightclub about HIV transmission. The gay bar then responded with the official statement below.
The HIV rate in the Philippines is surging, raising 20% from 2016 to 2017, even though that only translates to roughly 0.01% of its entire population being HIV-positive. The country’s HIV prevention efforts have also excluded men who have sex with men and IV-drug users.
While LGBTQ people are allowed to serve in the nation’s military and some regions offer non-discrimination and public accommodation protections for LGBTQ people, the country lacks same-sex marriage and adoption rights.
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Nevertheless, the country seems open to increased LGBTQ rights. While a 2016 poll conducted by International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) showed 52% of Filipinos opposing same-sex marriage, a 2017 ILGA poll showed 63% of Filipinos agreeing that LGBTQ people should have the same rights as straight folks.
The country’s president also says he’s open to legalized same-sex marriages after initially reneging on a campaign promise to legalize it nationwide.
