A Bigot’s Bar in the Burg

A Bigot’s Bar in the Burg

TFW RachelPortrait.jpgBy Rachel Birdsell

“Gary doesn’t seem keen to serve black people, gay people, people on welfare, disabled people, freaks, Muslims, Democrats nor anyone who can’t prove their white heritage at least six generations back.”

Gary James, owner of Gary’s Chicaros Club in the lovely hamlet of Enid, Okla., made the news four years ago with complaints that he was a discriminatory bigot. Gary’s back in the news, and is still a discriminatory bigot. I guess a jackass really doesn’t change its colors. If we’re to believe the obvious, not-even-slightly veiled evidence, Gary doesn’t seem keen to serve black people, gay people, people on welfare, disabled people, freaks, Muslims, Democrats nor anyone who can’t prove their white heritage at least six generations back. Of course, Gary doesn’t admit to not serving any of the above, except for gay people, because it’s still legal in Oklahoma to discriminate against them. Instead, he claims that he doesn’t serve anyone who is non-productive, which I’m pretty sure is code for: people who aren’t white, gay people, people on welfare, disabled people, freaks, Muslims, Democrats, etc.

The t-shirt bearing his business logo, that Gary proudly wears and sells in the bar, supports my assumption. The name of his club is in the middle of the shirt, along with the slogan, “Where the Great Whites Gather.” On one sleeve it reads, “fag-free zone” and the other sleeve reads, “nigger-free zone.” And for the cherry on top of this bigot parfait, there’s a target on the back of the shirt and in each ring of the target are types of people that need to be exterminated, such as Democrats, Muslims and people who are politically correct.

Charming little asshole, isn’t he?

So, what can one do with someone like Gary James? You could boycott his establishment. But since most of us don’t eat there anyway, it won’t make any difference. You could also visit his business’ Facebook or Yelp page; call him names and rant about what a horrible person he is. But, that’s not going to change Gary’s mind. It’s not going to make him sorry that he said what he did. But, there is something that might give him pause.

You could do what many people already have, and visit the aforementioned sites, but instead of leaving reviews about what a terrible place it is, you could leave a review about how Gary’s Chicaros Club is the best gay bar this side of the Mississippi. You could let everyone know how Gary loves drag shows so much his bar is hosting the 1st Annual Enid Rupaulapalooza this year. You could write about the festivities happening at Chicaros in honor of Black History Month, and Gary’s plans to make Chicaros a pork-free zone on Fridays so that Jews and Muslims in Enid will have a place to hang out.

I think if anything is going to make Gary think that maybe he should have kept his mouth shut, it will be the fear that even one person might think that his very racist, bigoted, redneck bar is really a rainbow-festooned bastion of glitter and gay pride. Maybe next time Gary has the urge to be interviewed by local television, he’ll remember the time a pack of thirsty, gay, black, disabled bikers rode into Enid, looking for a long, tall, cool one.

Rachel Birdsell is a freelance writer and artist. You can drop her a line at rabirdsell@gmail.com

 

Categories: Commentary