Australians have vowed to boycott a famous gay pub after a father claimed he was kicked out for wearing a Donald Trump hat.
Rob Holt claims he was ordered to leave The Wickham, in Brisbane, on Sunday after a staff member told him people might be offended by the cap.
Mr Holt wore the hat with the slogan ‘Trump 2024’ printed on the front and five gold stars embroidered in between.
‘[The staff member] said some people here don’t feel safe and are a little concerned when you wear that [the hat] here,” Mr. Holt said Nine news.
The ‘confused’ dad, who attended a Halloween event at the pub with his wife and daughter, claims he spent several hours in the venue dressed in the clothes.
The Aussies are divided over the incident. Some branded the behavior as a form of ‘discrimination’, while others vowed never to visit the pub.
“Staying away from the ‘Woke Wickham’, that’s for sure,” one person wrote on Facebook.
‘[I] will never go to that bar,” someone else wrote.
Rob Holt (pictured) claims he was kicked out of The Wickham, in Brisbane, on Sunday after a staff member told him people might be offended by his Donald Trump hat
“That’s discrimination against someone because they have a political opinion,” a third added.
Others said pubs often do not allow people to wear hats in their venues, while some questioned why Mr Holt was wearing the hat in the first place.
“Every venue has the right to set a dress code,” one person wrote.
“Who’s wearing a hat inside?” someone asked.
Mr Holt said he didn’t notice any problems until he was asked to leave, adding that he was embarrassed that the dramatic moment unfolded in front of his young daughter.
“Especially my six-year-old daughter, I didn’t want her to see her father being kicked out of an institution for no reason,” he said.
“If they were upset about it, I could have just taken it down instead of being told to leave.”
The incident left Aussies divided with some vowing never to visit the pub (pictured, The Wickham in Brisbane)
Mr. Holt told it 4BC radio Tuesday that he was about to leave the pub when the staff member saw him sitting on a chair near the bar with the hat on.
He claims five members of staff, including the manager, approached him to discuss concerns about the cap before he was told to leave.
Mr Holt said that while he did not think he was angry about what happened, he would like an apology from the pub.
“I’d love for them to contact me and say it was all a mistake or something,” he said.
“It would be good to hear from them.”
The Wickham is a Grade II listed pub that was founded in 1885 and became a well-known LGBTQIA+ venue in the 1970s.
According to its website, the pub prides itself on ‘creating a modern and safe space for all customers, regardless of gender identity, race or sexuality’.
Daily Mail contacted The Wickham and Mr Holt for further comment.
