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The Q — a gay nightclub in Hell’s Kitchen — was hit with a lawsuit claiming that it engaged in discrimination. A celebrity-backed gay nightclub in Hell’s Kitchen engaged in racist and sexist entrance policies, catered to underage drinkers and looked the other way when it came to illegal drugs including “date rape” drug GHB, according to a new lawsuit.
The Q, which opened in 2021 on Eighth Avenue and 48th street, was supposed to trumpet “inclusiveness,” but partner Alan Pikus “was vocal in his discriminatory beliefs and was hostile to the club catering to any group other than white young men,” former partner Frank “Frankie” Sharp alleged in the suit which was filed last month in state Supreme Court in Manhattan.
Sharp, a nightlife producer and public face of the club, says in the suit that he worked to design and launch the four-story venue which offers a mix of live music, cocktails and a dance floor. Actors Charlie Carver and Zachary Quinto are among its investors and Billy Porter helped promote it. Frank Sharp claimed in the lawsuit that his former business partner Alan Pikus was “vocal in his discriminatory beliefs.” Sharp claimed that Pikus wanted the club to be “comfortable for white twinks” and barred women from entry. Sharp and Pikus opened The Q together in 2021. In addition to Pikus, who is also known as Alan Picus and is a nightclub promoter, partner Bob Fluet, a founder of the Boxers NYC chain of bars, is named in the suit.
The Q was quickly popular with patrons but immediately rattled neighbors who lodged noise complaints, according to the suit, which alleged Pikus would increase the speaker volume if anyone lowered it.
Pikus was also hostile to the club’s popular Latin nights, telling Sharp, “Make sure your Latin nights are the […]
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