By: Ya'el McLoud
Sep. 25, 2022
The line outside of Lucky Joe’s Sidewalk Saloon in downtown Fort Collins nearly wrapped around the block. It was almost 11:30 p.m. on Saturday and while the rest of the bars seemed to be winding down Lucky Joe’s was just getting started for the night.
In the minute it took me to walk past the line I observed at least three groups of young men and women who did not know each other interact in some physical capacity.
There were hugs, subtle touches to low backs, and brushes against arms and legs. These small innocuous touches may not seem like a red flag to you, but they can be the kind of casual movements that are apart of sexually aggressive bar culture.
Ashling Brady, 29, echoed this sentiment when I interviewed her before the evening rush on Thursday. “Casual things like a hand on the back can be a red flag,” said Brady.
Brady is a server and bartender at Lucky Joe’s. She has worked there for the past year, after immigrating to Fort Collins from Ireland. Brady has been working in bars here and in Ireland since she was 18 years old.
According to Brady while she does feel very safe as a server in Lucky Joe’s, it is in large part because of the bar community and culture which is supportive and protective. The culture of the bar staff was tight-knit. Every staff member who came in would give Brady a hug and immediately jump into a conversation with her, a smile on their faces.
Trusting that people will look out for you in your local bar can be a major part of feeling safe. According to Safe Bars, 1 in 5 women will be raped in their lifetime, and “half of those who commit sexual assault are under the influence of alcohol at the time.” The vast majority of women have been sexually harassed in and out of bars.
When I go out with my friends in downtown Fort Collins, we all watch out for each other and follow the general safety guidelines instilled in every woman from a young age.
Never leave your drink unattended, do not dress provocatively, and do not drink too much. Whatever you do, don’t make yourself a victim because it will be your fault, in one way or another. That is the message women receive from our society, time and time again.
There is a misconception however, women are not targeted because they are drunk. Men simply make bad decisions because they are drunk. It is not about women being victims, it is about men being irresponsible, but not malicious, right?
According to a study on barroom culture and sexual aggression, men, who made up 90% of initiators, were more likely to be aggressive and use more invasive tactics on women who were heavily intoxicated. In other words, men observed in the study were targeting women based on how intoxicated they were, and were more likely to be sexually aggressive with women who were more intoxicated.
How intoxicated men were did not make them more aggressive with their sexual advances. Rather it was fully dependent on how drunk or how vulnerable to the advances a woman was. The study suggests that barroom culture and community are the problems and the environment of bars needs to evolve.
However, there is not just bad news, it appears in some communities like Fort Collins, the bar culture is being worked on. According to Brady not only does her staff check in on her frequently, but customers do as well. Both men and women will make sure that Brady is okay if they notice a verbally or physically aggressive encounter.
Brady’s co-worker Tonia Even, who has worked at Lucky Joe’s for four years, agrees with this. “We were short-staffed one night and I just walked over to Bondi Bar and asked if someone was available to walk me to my car and the answer is always yes,” said Even.
Both Brady and Even noted that while they see a lot of problematic things happen in bars, they generally felt safe and that the community was supportive. However, Even had a lot to say about her hopes for the community and culture regarding women’s safety.
“I wish women stuck together more, like power in numbers, I wish roofies just did not exist, and I wish people would just ask each other when something is weird,” said Even.
Safe Bars notes that people should always ask each other if they are okay when they notice something strange or ‘off’. Reaching out and behaving like a close-knit community makes the community safer in other words.
We live in a highly individualized world but when you are out in the community it no longer makes sense to only be concerned for yourself. When women feel safer in bars and feel confident that the community will protect them, sexual assault and harassment will start becoming less normalized and addressed more openly.
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