Are boys un-loved at the bars?

By Karl Kuehn

For as long as I have been gracing the bar/club scene, the efforts of owners to attract the female clientele hasn't escaped my notice.

"Ladies night," "girls drink free," and "no cover for the chicks before 10 p.m.: dress to impress" come to mind.

But I have yet to come across an advertisement for "men drink free all night" or "$1 shots for the guys with the best tan."

I know, I know, life's a bitch -- but I really do think this is unfair to the men who enjoy going out and having a good time. I mean, give guys a break; they are already expected to pay for all of the drinks anyway.

My belief in equal rights was most challenged during my break in Vegas, when one night...

I was losing money playing the Wheel of Fortune slots; the haze of cigarette smoke had made my contacts feel like shards of glass in my eyes. But I was saved when a good friend landed us a VIP table at the exclusive club, Pure.

Inside, the Pussycat Dolls sang, danced and bathed in lingerie encrusted with Swarovski crystals.

After a quick photo shoot with the guys from Queer Eye (now that was exciting), we decided to leave our VIP booth and pseudo-celebrity lifestyle behind to hit up Krave, a popular gay club boasting "Latino Night" as the evening's specialty.

Naturally, I assumed guys would get into the club for free. I was wrong. A sign greeted us: "Ladies: No Cover / Men: $10 entry fee."

I double-checked the rainbow-colored sign. Yes, this was a gay club. Yes, it was Latino Night. Yes, the ladies get in free.

Wait, what? This doesn't make much sense to meâ?¦ I mean, don't they want guys to come to these types of places? Although fun to dance with, flirty females don't exactly lure in the most men headed to a gay club.

While I protested, my two girl friends quickly went inside the club, and my boyfriend, pretending to be a transgendered female, trotted in free of charge. My other two male friends paid the fee without a fuss, so I was the odd man outâ?¦ fighting for equality in an unjust world.

I had two choices: I could turn around and head back to the strip with no choice but to pursue a career as a Pussycat Doll, or I could pay the measly ten dollars and party with my friends.

So I paid and went in, leaving my pride at the door.

However, I still think that guys should get some more consideration when it comes to their treatment at bars and clubs.

Ladies get cute shoes and society's approval to dress extra-slutty on Halloween.

But guys? Well, I guess most guys get the pleasure of looking at the ladies wearing the cute shoes and extra-slutty outfits.

But what about me? Like those people who repeat annoying quotes always say, you win some, you lose some. I definitely lost.

Contact Karl Kuehn at (408) 551-1918 or kkuehn@scu.edu.