A battle is brewing in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood after plans to replace the long-standing and much-celebrated Berlin Nightclub with a Florida-based male strip club have come to light, sparking outrage and a petition with over 1,200 signatories seeking to halt the club's opening. The controversy hinges on the company's allegedly discriminatory hiring practices and its exclusionary policy towards female customers. The upcoming establishment, Johnson’s Chicago, has seen pushback from locals and activists striving to preserve the inclusivity and progressiveness that Berlin Nightclub once championed in the LGBTQIA+ community.
Opponents of the new strip joint, such as Daniel Perez, a resident and CEO of the nonprofit DelRey Productions, asserted that Johnson's has a policy that bars women from entering without a male escort – a rule considered regressive by many. Perez, fueled by the club owner Matt Colunga’s social media call for "straight muscle boys," launched a petition to bar the club from both opening and participating in Chicago's Pride Parade in June. “Moreover, their policy requiring women to be escorted by men within their premises perpetuates harmful stereotypes, and promotes for toxic masculinity — this is simply unacceptable in today’s society where we strive for equality,” Perez’s petition said, according to a report by Block Club Chicago.
The Chicago Sun-Times relayed concerns about potential setbacks to the LGBTQIA+ community's progress due to the club’s opening. "In Chicago, we’ve fought for our rights and for diversity and inclusion, and for this club to come in, it’s concerning and it’s setting us back," Perez told the Chicago Sun-Times. He lamented the loss of Berlin Nightclub, a place where "those stereotypes didn’t matter," and said that the newcomer on the block was a step away from the spirit of safety and inclusion it had propagated.
The petition echoes a growing sentiment that Johnson’s Chicago, which according to Colunga is expected to open in May, could undermine the atmosphere of acceptance that Berlin fostered over 40 years. Yet, Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th) has stated that no permits have been issued, and no license applications have been submitted. “Everyone should feel welcome and accepted in our community, and I understand concerns about business practices at this establishment’s out of state locations,” Lawson said, in a statement obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. Colunga has not responded to requests for comment, however, an apology was issued in an interview with the Windy City Times to "everyone he offended with the Facebook message."
Further adding to the tensions, Lux Filler a professional dancer in Northalsted revealed that Johnson’s Chicago rejected him based on his appearance. The response he received from Johnson's, as posted by Filler, was blunt: “We only hire the best guys. If you wanna work for us, I suggest fighting up some, hit the gym a little harder." According to an interview with Block Club, Filler said he was taken aback by such a forthright rejection. "Clubs usually say 'no' in a more professional way, and it’s as simple as that. There’s no need to bring personal opinions into it," Filler remarked.
The petitioners have slated May 15 for a visit to the East Lakeview Chamber of Commerce meeting, hoping to block the necessary permits Johnson's Chicago requires to open its doors. Despite the uproar, Johnson’s Chicago has claimed, via a Facebook post, that it was approved to march in the upcoming Pride Parade, as per Block Club. Parade organizers have yet to offer a comment.
