National

NSW

LGBTQ

Opinion

Isabella Freeland Sydney journalist October 16, 2025 — 7.30pm

When the owner of a new club on Darlinghurst’s Oxford Street, Pink Pony, announced it would “unashamedly” cater to gay men and that it only wanted 10 per cent of its patrons to be women, I was disappointed but not surprised. Using the name of a song by famous lesbian Chappell Roan certainly rubbed salt in the wound, but it wasn’t a shock.

Non-male queer people have long been treated as second-class citizens in the LGBTQ world. My straight friends are always surprised when I tell them the community isn’t always inclusive.

If I wanted to go out and meet someone on a Friday night in Sydney, I don’t know where I’d go to do it. On the weekends, there is no dedicated, permanent space for queer

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