Non-Discrimination Laws Have Teeth

A bar out in Oregon found out the hard way that discrimination is wrong…

Twilight Room Annex will close after Bureau of Labor and Industries begins collecting $400,000 penalty
The Oregonian
By Casey Parks
April 19, 2014

The Twilight Room Annex will close for good tonight, owner Chris Penner said, after his bank accounts were seized in connection with a Bureau of Labor and Industries judgment.

The bureau ordered Penner last August to pay $400,000 to a group of transgender and crossdressing people whom Penner asked not to return to his bar. Penner appealed the bureau’s judgment, but the Oregon Court of Appeals has not yet reviewed his case.

“We have an enforceable judgment against Penner and the Twilight Room from when he discriminated against his patrons by denying them service based on gender identity,” said BOLI spokesman Charlie Burr. “To our knowledge, Chris Penner has not asked the court of appeals for a stay of enforcement to halt the payments that he owes. To date, we have not received any payment from Chris Penner. We are going to try to collect the money.”

He didn’t pay the fine and fluffed it off until the Bureau of Labor and Industries sized his bank account and now he is crying crocodile tears.

“I know I misspoke. I said a couple of stupid things without thinking,” Penner said. “Now I’m put out of business. Employees are out of work. I can’t have a checking account, and there’s absolutely nothing I can do about it.”

He could have done a lot of things that he never did, the Daily Kos wrote,

The girls asked for a mediated settlement with Penner, saying it wasn't about the money, they just wanted a public appolgy [sic]. Penner declined and filed an appeal, but he did not appeal the monetary penalty.

I do feel sorry for him, he was losing business but he went about it the wrong way and for that he got what he deserved.