Tallas said Burkhart’s did not have a specific policy in place to protect against racism, adding, “We never knew that there was a racial problem here. When Michael Clutter and his business partner opened the Midtown gay bar Bulldogs in 1978, they didn't know what to expect, much less that it would last 40 years. And he said rap and hip-hop performances were never banned, only that entertainers were asked not to perform songs - in any genre - that were labeled “explicit.” He also insisted management did not use or tolerate racial slurs or disparaging language to describe non-white customers. Tallas insisted the bar’s $5 cover fee was not meant to keep anyone out: He said it was needed to counter the cost of hiring stars from “RuPaul's Drag Race” to perform at the venue. Tallas said accusations that he and other managers at Burkhart’s are racist are “absolutely untrue,' and he said he was 'shocked' to see those allegations on social media. They also alleged that management frequently used disparaging language in reference to non-white customers, referring to them as “riff raff,” “ghetto” and “EBT people,' a reference to people who use food stamps.
They alleged the policies were ploys to make the bar less attractive to low-income people of color. The women said the bar’s all-white management initiated a $5 cover charge and requested that performers not perform certain rap or hip-hop music during their shows.
