(no subject)

[pozorvlak]

I thought some of you might be interested in this.

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is attempting to shut down the DNA Lounge, the San Francisco live music club owned by former Netscape/Mozilla/XEmacs hacker legend Jamie Zawinski. Firefox users: without this guy, the Mozilla project probably wouldn't have got off the ground.

Two things seem to have particularly given ABC the huff:

1. DNA's temerity at appealing, and then winning their appeal, against ABC's decision to deny them a type 47 alcohol licence (admission for under-21s, food served). Note that the licence was denied despite the support of their neighbours and the SFPD.
2. Of more interest to this blog's readership, perhaps, is that ABC seems to have something against DNA's running events for the lesbian/gay/bi/trans/etc community. After the appeal, they started sending undercover agents to LGBT events, watching for (and timing) brief episodes of nudity that were too quick for DNA's security to notice and stop. All the complaints relate to LGBT events, and the penalty is far out of proportion to the penalty that's been imposed on heterosexual clubs for similar offences.

As a result, ABC claim that DNA is a "a disorderly house injurious to the public welfare and morals", and are asking for outright revocation of DNA's liquor licence. This would put them out of business entirely and permanently.

Hard to believe that there'd be a problem like this in San Francisco, I know. But that appears to be the case.

More here.