Brighton LGBT bar wants to stop having to ask over-30s for ID

Brighton’s biggest LGBT bar wants to stop having to ask the older gays in the village for ID.

Bar Revenge, also known as R-Bar, currently has a condition on its licence which says it has to ask for ID for everyone, but those who look older than 30 can go in if they provide their details and have a picture taken instead.

But the bar says many of its older customers don’t carry ID and are uncomfortable with having their personal details written down.

Its owner, Avante Limited, says the restriction has made it difficult for the venue to operate and discourages older customers.

It’s now asking for the condition to be changed so over-30s don’t have to show ID or provide details.

In an application to Brighton and Hove City Council, it says: “This will, in effect, remove the requirement for us to record the name and date of birth of customers entering the venue who are over 30 but do not have ID.

“This has previously made it very difficult for us to operate as a venue, since no other LGBTQ+ bars in the city have this requirement.

“Increasingly, older customers do not carry photo ID and are not comfortable having their personal details written down.”

Instead of scanning the IDs of those who look over 30, a CCTV recorded image will be made available to licensing officers on request.

Steve Jones, managing director of R-Bar and Revenge, said: “This application comes after weeks of discussions with BHCC Licensing to get their approval prior to submission.

“At R-Bar, we have a range of policy and procedures to keep our customers safe, which can be found on our website.”

Last summer, R-Bar successfully asked for a variation in their licence to use Challenge 30 before 8pm, rather than checking the ID of every customer.

The bar was granted the variation on the grounds that its typical customer before 8pm is often between the ages of 30 and 70 who often do not carry ID.