A ‘Pink Pony Club’ aimed primarily at gay men announces new name after backlash

“In hindsight our communication was clumsy and very poorly worded.”

Mark Mark
Oct 25, 2025 - 20:00
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A ‘Pink Pony Club’ aimed primarily at gay men announces new name after backlash
Two men hug in a gay club
Posed by models (Photo: Shutterstock)

A new gay club in Sydney, Australia, has announced a change of name after its first choice prompted controversy.

Set to open this December on Oxford Street, in the heart of the city’s gayborhood, the Pink Pony Club made headlines when its owners revealed it would be primarily aimed at 18-35-year-old gay men.

At a time when queer venues around the world are shuttering, any new venue is to be welcomed. And there’s nothing wrong with catering to a specific demographic within the LGBTQ community per se. However, many were quick to point out that if you’re a club aimed primarily at gay men, maybe you shouldn’t take your name from an iconic Chappell Roan song that celebrates a fictional “special place where boys and girls can all be queens every single day.”

The new club is taking over the space previously occupied by Two 3 One (at 231 Oxford Street). It comes from the owners of another well-known gay haunt, Palms.

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The venue’s CEO, Michael Lewis, spoke to Gay Sydney News earlier this month and confirmed it would “unashamedly be targeted at the boys, pretty much 18 to 35 … Of course the girls will be welcome, but it would certainly be our desire that it is predominantly gay boys, and when I say predominantly, I’m sort of talking 90 per cent plus.”

The backlash was swift.

New name

Within days, the Pink Pony Club’s social media had deleted all its pre-launch posts. Then, this week, the team announced a new name.

It will hence be known as TRIBE@231.

It now describes itself as a “nightclub created by members of the LGBTQI+ community for the LGBTQI+ community.” The music policy will be “high-energy dance music, fusing underground house, techno, pop remixes, disco, and anthemic queer classics”.

“Oxford Street has always been a cultural beacon for the LGBTQI+ community,” it stated. “TRIBE @ 231 is our love letter to that legacy — a place to dance, connect, and celebrate queer joy in all its forms.”

Last week, in “an open letter to our community“, the management said, “In our excitement to announce the launch of our new venture, our first thought was to let those in the community we envisioned would be the core clientele know we were building something for them. In hindsight our communication was clumsy and very poorly worded.

“We can see the issue with using the song name as inspiration for what was expected to be a predominantly gay venue. We have taken the time to see from the perspective of others in our community, and see that we appeared arrogant & selfish, for that, we are sorry.”

In response to a comment asking if the new venue was still only targeting gay men aged 18-35, the club responded, “TRIBE welcomes all members of our community, at the end of the day the vibe of venue, the music and those it resonates with will dictate the crowd.”

TRIBE@231 will open in December.

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