I’ve been on the fence for a long time about whether or not to write this petition. 

I’ve been going to Babe’s forever. It’s always felt like home to me. I knew and loved Vicky, and I have so much respect for how hard she fought to keep one of the few remaining lesbians bars in the US alive and thriving. It has been incredibly upsetting to see her hard work undermined by this new management’s treatment of their staff and customers. I have tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. I thought things would get better as more time passed, but they haven’t. I’ve come to realized that I cannot stand by and do nothing. So as much as it saddens me to say this: Chaz needs to be held accountable and removed from management at Babe’s. 

I wanted him to succeed. Did I think it was strange that a man was taking over a lesbian bar? Sure. But we’ve run in similar crowds for years now, and I know he loved Vicky, which is why I think we all tried to be understanding at first.

To start, he hired new bartenders, but he didn’t seem to train them. In addition to specific things like prices and inventory, they also don’t know how to pour liquor or make common drinks, so why schedule them by themselves? It’s one thing if there’s another person there to help them, but why would you put a new hire behind the bar alone if they’ve only had a couple weeks of experience? Plus, I have been at the bar while he has drunkenly berated them for not knowing something or being too slow. It’s this treatment of both the staff and customers that is most concerning. 

A few Sundays ago, I watched a really disturbing incident. There are 3 girl bartenders that have been there for the past couple years. This particular Sunday, the one with the cherry earrings (I don’t know if she wants her name out there) was working behind the bar. It was busy. Chaz was sitting at the end of the bar just running her ragged. He was obnoxiously drunk, ordering shot after shot for him and his buddies, complaining about everything she’s doing wrong. I thought the girl was about to cry. Then he started yelling at someone in the karaoke crowd about how they’re a pervert and a pedophile. I’m just watching it all go down at this point. All his friends are trying to calm him down. They look embarrassed as all get out. Cherries has her head in her hands. To say I was shocked would be an understatement, but I was even more shocked when I came back the next week and the same thing happened all over AGAIN. He sits at the end of the bar. He gets drunk. He harasses whoever’s working. He makes ugly comments about the customers. My friends don’t even want to go with me on Saturday nights anymore out of fear of running into him. If you look at Babe’s reviews, it’s clear they are not the only ones. His behavior is unacceptable, especially when you take into account that he is a man in a position of power over almost exclusively women. I am bringing these concerns to the public because something has to be done, and I find it incredibly concerning that something has not been done already. 

Chaz’s treatment of his staff and of Babe’s patrons is unjustifiable, and the only person capable of stepping in and setting things right is the owner of the bar, Ashley. From what I understand, Vicky handled everything relating to the bar and its finances, so she may have no idea what’s going on. The crowds at Babe’s seem to grow smaller every Saturday, and I can’t help myself from wondering if she’s aware of the impact Chaz’s behavior is having on business.

Where do we go from here? I’ve put a lot of thought into this. Is it right to boycott an establishment because of one man? What about the staff? This is their livelihood. I’ve gone back and forth, but at the end of the day, the staff is already getting screwed over. Business is slowing down as a result of his behavior. They are already losing money, and they have to put up with a clearly toxic work environment. It’s only going to get worse for them. The sooner he’s gone, the better their lives will be. So let’s make this a concentrated effort and get some real results FOR Babe’s and its people. Don’t think of this as going against one of the last lesbian bars in the US. This is a last ditch effort to save it. Babe’s might be one of the safest places we have, but Chaz is not a safe person. It’s time for a boycott. Ring in the new year the right way by not supporting a business that stands by as a man demeans and debases his employees and customers. Until Ashley and/or Chaz step up and make the right decision, we should take our money elsewhere. 

If you have any experiences of your own, please share them below or in Babe’s reviews. Let it be clear to Ashley that this is a pattern of behavior and that we don’t want to patronize Babe’s until something changes.