![]() ![]() You just ruined all that work in one night,” Torres said. “I poured years of free community work into this bar, so this feels like a big slap on the face. Torres has worked with the bar for decades helping its management make the space more inclusive through things like making sure its posters feature a diverse mix of people and posting signs that say bigotry is not acceptable. “I feel extremely disappointed and betrayed by this.” “This bar is a safe space for a lot of us people from disadvantaged and marginalized communities, and this is just outrageous,” Torres said. Let’s just go.'”Ī group of people of color were standing outside the bar when Torres left, talking about what they’d seen, he said. “I just looked at my friend and said, ‘This is the first time I’ve ever felt unsafe in this bar. “It was extremely unsettling and disgusting,” Torres said. Chicago Leather, a contest hosted by the bar, said he left after the audience member was booed. Miguel Torres, a longtime patron of Touché who won the 2014 Mr. Philip Smith, who recorded the video and provided it to Block Club, said the show closed with Halliday asking manager David Boyer to collect tips for the Black puppet’s five children. Multiple people can be heard clapping and booing the audience member, who leaves the bar shortly after. Halliday, speaking through the puppet, responds, “Everybody who wants this man to shut up, make some noise clap.” Video of the performance shows a confrontation between Halliday and a white audience member, who tells the puppeteer “everyone in the crowd thinks this is a little weird for 2022.” “I reached a point where I realized my integrity is more than this job. “The longer I was there, I started feeling nauseous,” Bleaux said. About five minutes into the set, Bleaux noticed people leaving.Īfter sitting through a few more acts, which made jokes about sexual assault, Puerto Ricans and transgender people, Bleaux took off his work keys, left them in the office and walked out, he said. Clark St.Ĭris Bleaux, a bartender at Touché, quit about an hour and a half into his shift and “walked out in disgust” over Halliday’s performance, he said.īleaux said he immediately felt uncomfortable when Halliday, a white man, came on stage and pulled out the Black puppet. “If there’s something we can do to support someone more in the future, we’d be more than happy to because we are one of the oldest gay bars in the city and always had a very diverse crowd that’s welcoming of women, people of color and people with disabilities.” Credit: Jake Wittich/Block Club Chicago Touché, 6414 N. “Hopefully, people will look at the 45-year history of the establishment over a 45-minute tasteless performance,” Rodocker said. Wednesday at the Leather Archives & Museum, 6418 N. ![]() The bar will host a town hall to collect feedback 7 p.m. The Black puppet was pictured in posters advertising the 45th anniversary celebration.Ĭhuck Rodocker, owner of Touché, said he and the bar leaders “apologize profusely and sincerely” for the performance. Clark St., for allowing the performance to happen. A barrage of social media posts were made Wednesday calling out Touché, 6414 N. Several audience members walked out mid-performance, including a bartender who quit mid-shift. Witnesses said he made jokes about loving watermelon, being on welfare and having multiple kids. ![]() The ventriloquist, Jerry Halliday, introduced his puppet as “Sista Girl” and was captured on video speaking with a stereotypical “Blaccent,” or voice that white and non-Black performers use to imitate Black vernacular. ROGERS PARK - Famed leather bar Touché will hold a town hall next week after coming under fire for hiring a ventriloquist who used a racist puppet of a Black woman during the bar’s 45th anniversary party. ![]()
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