When San Diego local Jarett Wilkins headed out to The Lamplighter on Tuesday night, he was simply looking for a low-key good time – a little karaoke and a few drinks with friends visiting from out of town. But when Wilkins went to take the karaoke stage, he found himself the brunt of offensive, anti-gay slurs from several men seated at the bar.
Wilkins reports the offenders began to throw insults towards his sexual orientation, while employees at The Lamplighter did nothing to stop the harassment.
“We were having a good time and getting ready to sing karaoke. When I got up to sing, two men at the bar started yelling out ‘faggot’ and ‘queer’ so I called them out over the microphone,” said Wilkins.
Wilkins reported that a third man began making derisive Freddy Mercury comments after the karaoke jockey asked the offenders to leave the premises. When the bartender on-duty refused to enforce the karaoke jockey’s request, Wilkins approached the men only to find himself picked up from behind and carried toward the door by an off-duty Lamplighter employee.
“The bartender refused to back the [karaoke jockey] so we went over to confront the three guys. An off-duty employee… carried me out of the bar saying I was causing a disturbance,” said Wilkins.
Determined to stand his ground on the karaoke stage despite continued harassment from the men at the bar, Wilkins finished singing and then prepared to leave. Upon requesting a business card from the bartender, Wilkins was told that there weren’t any available and that he could not have access to the managers contact information.
“As a gay man, I have never been forced to undergo that brand of establishment supported humiliation,” said Wilkins. “I strongly urge anyone who believes that this act was wrong to stay far, far away from The Lamplighter.”
