It is 1am. I am outside out of the Saloon.

Two bouncers throw me against the wall of the bar. One of the bouncers twists my arm and handcuffs me. I’m pissed.

The Saloon is one of the most popular gay clubs in the city.

Mike and I went to the Saloon tonight and spent the majority of the time in the video bar.

The main room of the Saloon has a stage with a shower. On Sundays, the Saloon has underaged-looking dancers¹ fully nude in that shower.

I’m not into underaged boys, or of-age boys who look like underaged-boys, so I avoided that room all night.

Mike had to use the restroom before we left, so I waited for him in the hallway by the restroom. The hallway happens to open up to Saloon’s main room – the room with the shower boys.

I had a view of the shower from the hallway, and saw a creepy old man tipping the stripper boy. It was funny, so I took a picture.

The old man then rushes over grabs my arm.

Old Man: “I didn’t appreciate you taking that picture of me! Delete it now!”
Me: “Oh?”
Old Man: “And you’re not going anywhere. I’m calling security.”
Me: “I’m ready to leave anyway.”
Old Man: “You’re not leaving until you delete that picture.”

Now, if the old man would have approached me nicely, or at least not grabbed me, I would have deleted it. And truly, it’s a blackberry photo, so it is too blurry to see anyone’s face anyway.

But here is this random man grabbing my arm and shouting at me, so I went into “fuck you, go away mode.” I didn’t tell the old man off, but I did tell him that I wasn’t going to delete the picture if he didn’t let me go.

A short bouncer came and escorted me out. I was outisde, about to leave when the old guy flies out of the bar and starts hollering at me to delete the picture again.

Then a group of bouncers and the old man’s friends show up. One of the female bouncers gets in my face and grabs my blazer.

Female bouncer: “Delete the picture.”
Me: “Let go of my blazer.”
Female bouncer: “No. Delete the picture. It is clearly posted on the shower that no pictures can be taken.”
Me: “I did not see that sign, but I believe you. Let go of my blazer.”
Female bouncer: “It was also announced three times tonight.”
Me: “Probably in the shower room. I was not in the shower room because I’m not into little kids, so I didn’t hear the announcement. Let go of my blazer.”
Female bouncer: “Well it was announced. Delete picture or I will arrest you.”
Me: “For what?”
Female bouncer: “Taking the picture.”
Me: “You can’t arrest me for that.”
Female bouncer: “I’m a cop. Yes I can.”
Me: “If you were a cop then you would know that I would have to have committed some crime for you to arrest me.”
Female bouncer: “You broke the clearly posted rules in the shower room.”
Me: “Breaking the rules of a bar is not a crime for which you can arrest me. Especially since I am not longer inside of the bar. Besides, what you really want to arrest me for is not deleting the picture, which again, is not a crime.”
Female bouncer: “You’re on bar property.”
Me: “The sidewalk is not bar property. Let go of me. You have no reason to detain me. Let go of my blazer.”
Female bouncer: “Yes I do. I’m a cop. I’ll arrest you and call the cops.”
Me: “And tell them what? That I broke bar rules? And what will they do? Call them. I didn’t break any law.”

So then the female bouncer and bigger male bouncer throw me against the wall and the female bouncer starts handcuffing me.

The situation was officially ridiculous.

So I told them that I deleted the photo and they let me go.

Normally I’m not such a jerk about things. Really. But the fact that everyone was rude and physically detaining me (and then threatening to arrest me) pissed me off.

I wasn’t drunk, I wasn’t belligerent, and I did not knowingly break any bar rules, yet alone any real laws (that I can think of…) And the reaction of the Saloon staff was unnecessary and rude.

So I’m no longer going to that bar.

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¹ I don’t want to imply that they are actually underage. The point is that even if the dancers are 18+, they look very young because they tend to be thin, hairless, and have boy-ish features. (aka Twinks.)