As people continue to share their stories using #MeToo, some nightlife spots are wising up to sexual harassment and posting signs that make it clear it's not welcome.
In downtown Sacramento, reported ABC 10, a pub called The Golden Bear is encouraging customers to let the staff know if they feel unsafe.
"We can solve it without involving you," the pub's staff wrote on a sign posted in the bathrooms and elsewhere. If someone is "creeping you out" or "bugging you," you can tell a staff member the code word "Lights Out."
At Press Club, a dance club in Sacramento, a sign is posted in a few places, including the dance floor.
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It reads: "Ladies. If there are creepy dudes bothering you or your friends while you're simply trying to enjoy yourself at our club... Please don't hesitate, immediately alert security... Their B.S. behavior is not welcome here." The sign says the club's security guards have been instructed to throw out the harassers on first complaint.
While it's well-intentioned, we wish the sign were more inclusive. Trans and gender-nonconforming people also get harassed, and "creepy dudes," while plentiful, aren't the only ones doing the harassing. But it's a small step in the right direction.
"I think a lot of times, we're used to brushing it off so easily," bartender Ashley Davis told ABC 10. "Maybe [the signs are] having a little reminder up that no, that's not okay." She added that the #MeToo campaign has helped her feel more empowered. "We've all encountered it in some form or another."
ABC 10 reporter Frances Wang posted photos of the signs at both establishments on Twitter.
Have you seen these around downtown Sacramento? Signs like at The Golden Bear. Where else have you seen them? Please let me know. @ABC10 pic.twitter.com/41uN1FPi0Z
— Frances Wang (@FrancesWangTV) October 17, 2017
Similar signs up around Press Club in downtown Sacramento: "This is your club and we always want you to have fun and feel safe." pic.twitter.com/w6x4XTEPT4
— Frances Wang (@FrancesWangTV) October 18, 2017
Earlier this year, the staff of a bar called The Beer Cellar in Exeter, got fed up with customers sexually harassing the female bartender. The bar posted a sign explaining (because it's apparently not obvious enough) that it's the bartender's job to be nice to customers; it does not mean she is "uncontrollably sexually attracted" to them. "If dudes could stop trying to kiss our female bartender's hands, that would be great," the Cellar posted on Twitter.
It's a sad state of affairs when some people still need these reminders, but hopefully the signs will do their intended job.
This is definitely our favourite sign in the bar. Also if dudes could stop trying to kiss our female bartender's hands that would be great. pic.twitter.com/C1Lf8KNe1Q
— Beer Cellar Exeter (@BeerCellarExe) May 25, 2017
If you have experienced sexual violence of any kind, please visit Rape Crisis or call 0808 802 9999.