Log Cabin Republicans Assaulted and Booted from ‘Safe Space’ Gay Bar in San Diego

Urban Mo’s in San Diego bills itself as a welcoming gay bar. A big banner outside proudly declares it a “safe space.” But as Paul Ramirez, a California Delegate and voting member of Assembly District 56, and many other Log Cabin Republican members learned the hard way on April 10th, that “safe space” comes with a very specific political test: you’d better not be a conservative, especially one who dares to support Donald Trump.

After the California GOP convention wrapped up, members from various Southern California Log Cabin Republican chapters gathered at Urban Mo’s for a post-convention get-together. It’s a spot the group has used for events before. Nothing unusual. Just conservatives who happen to be gay grabbing a drink and celebrating a successful convention.

Some of the guys, including Ramirez, were wearing red MAGA hats. Jesse Greika, the bar’s General Manager (who also moonlights as the drag queen Glitz Glam), quickly approached and demanded they remove the hats. Some patrons found them “offensive,” he said. Ramirez politely expressed his disappointment but complied. No scene. No argument.

A few minutes later, Greika was back. This time he told the entire Log Cabin group they had to move upstairs to a separate are of the venue. You know, the classic “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” routine straight out of Animal Farm. The group complied again because that’s what polite, decent people do.

Ramirez briefly stepped back downstairs to film a quick social media video recapping the GOP convention’s success and the strong turnout and support the Log Cabin Republicans had received. For maybe thirty seconds, he put the red hat back on. That was all it took. A sandwich was thrown at Ramirez’s husband purely because of their presence at the bar.

Moments later, Greika marched upstairs and informed the group they were being kicked out entirely. As the Log Cabin members headed for the door, rightly irritated by the escalating harassment, a pack of female agitators began screaming expletives at them and hurled a drink that splashed several members.

Greika then offered to comp the group’s entire bill. The Log Cabin crew refused. They insisted on paying in full so the server  who had actually treated them well wouldn’t lose out on tips. But in the same breath, Greika made his position crystal clear. He proclaims that they “deserved it” because they had voted for a “piece of sh*t.” Translation: gay Republicans deserve to be assaulted for the unforgivable crime of supporting Donald Trump and daring to wear a hat that signals it. As Ramirez put it, “Our crime was our attire.”

A gay bar with a giant “safe space” banner outside turned out to be anything but safe for gay men who happen to be conservative. The message was loud and clear: you can be gay, but only if you think exactly the way the General Manager and the loudest patrons think. Deviate from the approved political line, even slightly, and you’re fair game for lobbed sandwiches, thrown drinks, and public ejection.

For years the national media and the activist class have painted the entire Republican Party as homophobic and anti-gay. Yet here were Log Cabin Republicans, openly gay conservatives, being welcomed with open arms at the California GOP convention. Both Republican candidates for California governor, Chad Bianco and Steve Hilton, made it a point to attend the Log Cabin party and show their support. That’s not “anti-gay.” That’s inclusion. Meanwhile, at a self-proclaimed “safe space” gay bar, conservative gays were treated like second-class citizens, segregated upstairs, and ultimately assaulted and thrown out.

After the ugly scene at Urban Mo’s, the group simply walked over to another gay bar—Number 1 Fifth Avenue. They walked in wearing their red MAGA hats, and they were treated with respect. No demands to remove hats. No thrown food. No lectures about how they “deserved” to be attacked.

This wasn’t about “safety.” It wasn’t about protecting patrons from some imaginary threat. It was about political intolerance dressed up in rainbow colors. The left-wing elements within the LGBT community have spent years claiming the GOP is the party of hate. But when the hate actually shows up, when gay conservatives are physically targeted and publicly shamed simply for existing in the “wrong” political skin, it doesn’t come from the Republican side. It comes from the very people who claim to speak for the entire community.

Paul Ramirez and the Log Cabin Republicans didn’t start this fight. They just wanted to celebrate their convention and enjoy a drink in a bar that supposedly welcomes everyone. Instead, they got a masterclass in leftist hypocrisy. And the “safe space” banner outside Urban Mo’s? It’s still hanging there, presumably. Just don’t expect it to mean what it says.