A disabled Australian heavy metal fan was left humiliated after being refused entry to one of his favourite bands because he uses a wheelchair.
Dylan Taylor went to the Pier Bandroom venue in the Melbourne suburb of Frankston to see Sydney band Polaris on July 28 but was, to his surprise, refused entry.
There was nothing on her concert ticket, the venue’s website or social media that indicated that people in wheelchairs would not be allowed in.
But after Mr Taylor, 32, travelled more than an hour with some friends to reach the scene, he soon realised something was up.
“I got to the front of the line and they were checking IDs like always, and one of the guards didn’t even acknowledge I was there,” she said. 7News.
He showed his driver’s license, but the security personnel did not look at it.
Mr Taylor was confused about what was happening until another bouncer told him: “No, sorry mate, no wheelchairs allowed,” which he said was “blatant discrimination.”
The group asked for a manager to come and talk to them to see if they could find a way for everyone to get in.
Disabled Australian heavy metal fan Dylan Taylor (pictured at a Polaris concert in San Diego) was left humiliated after being turned away from a gig because he uses a wheelchair.
The manager eventually told the group that letting Mr Taylor in would pose a fire risk and that guards would not remove a wheelchair user if there was a fire.
“I’m throwing up because at this point I haven’t even paid my friends’ entrance fee and I’ve ruined their night,” he said.
When friends said they had seen someone in a wheelchair in the same spot two weeks earlier, they were told that the person could walk some distance and did not always need their wheelchair.
A spokesman for Pier Bandroom owner Endeavour Group said the venue was sorry for any inconvenience caused.
They said the Pier Hotel was built in the 19th century and the Bandroom venue “is only accessible by stairs and is not wheelchair accessible.”
‘We apologize to all ticket holders who were not adequately informed about our venue’s policies when purchasing tickets for recent concerts.’
They added that the Pier Bandroom website will be updated to clarify rules regarding wheelchair inaccessibility.
The tickets are known to have been later refunded.
Ironically, Mr. Taylor had already seen Polaris play when he lived in San Diego, California, and even gave the band a fist salute while crowd surfing in his wheelchair.
“You could count on the fact that you could take your wheelchair there,” he said.
It was in San Diego that, 18 months ago, he suffered a permanent spinal injury while riding his BMX bike.
Mr Taylor said what happened to him in Frankston “was the first time I faced discrimination that I would say was quite blatant”.
“You feel pretty empty inside and I cried a little in the car on the way home.”
Mr Taylor said the experience really shook him because it made him realise what people who have been disabled all their lives have to deal with.
“People who maybe haven’t had the other half of life that I’ve had, being able to go and experience these things before they’re in a wheelchair,” she said.
There was nothing on her concert ticket, or on the venue’s website or social media that said wheelchair users would not be allowed in. The Pier Bandroom is pictured.
Ironically, Mr Taylor had already seen Polaris (pictured) play when he was living in San Diego, California, and even gave the band a fist salute while crowd surfing in his wheelchair.
Mr Taylor said the past 18 months had been “a steep learning curve” in discovering how much of his life is now limited by the lack of wheelchair access.
“Melbourne will embrace the reputation of being inclusive and tolerant, but it’s not necessarily accessible,” he said.
A new National Arts and Disability Partnership Plan, which will receive $7.9 million in federal government funding, will help support people with disabilities to access and participate in the arts.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Pier Bandroom and Polaris for comment.
