Denied entry to a club because I was carrying needles!

Does seem a bit harsh Josh all things considered, complain to the management of the establishment involved and explain why you need to keep your insulin pen with you at all times.

I've always kept any diabetes related equipment on me in pubs and clubs and have never trusted cloakrooms to safeguard them for me, the only time I've been searched and had to explain why I was carrying my insulin pens was last year at Wembley Stadium, the security guy said no problem and let me through.

You know what I would do?

Phone the local newspaper and ask to speak to a reporter they love stories like this, tell them exactly what happened and how upset you are and I wouldnt mind betting that they run a story about how you have been discriminated against.

My bet is it could be worth a free membership or a bottle of bubbly at the very least

Sorry for your unfortunate experience Josh. It is not only discriminatory but must have been humiliating for you in front of others'.

I would do as Sid & Noblehead suggests. Phone the paper and the management of the establishment.
At the very least, you can open the door for another D.

Take care!

I dunno - needles and clubs don't mix. Fights happen in clubs, and if word gets around that you are allowed to carry needles in clubs, some of the trouble makers might carry needles as weapons.

It's an odd one for sure.

But any decent club should have the facility in the office to hold your diabetic kit for you...

What happens if someone has an e-pen (or whatever you call them) for nut allergy....surely in somewhere like a club you would have to carry that with you as the possibility of coming into contact with such things is high....would they ban them too!!

I think that is disgusting behaviour and lumps us in with druggies and such!! A request for a justified explanation from the management is the least I would go for. Also have they any notices displayed saying what restricted items are not permitted? If not, why not? Tell them they should put a sign up so everyone knows how discriminatory they are being!!

Challenge them, go for it!!

Angie

Hi Josh

Im new to this forum but not to diabetes as I've had it for 20ys since I was 10 so I can relate to you with this one.

I was once searched at a pretty big club in a big city, but to be fair they never had any trouble like drugs or violence etc. However I obviously had my needles with me whenever I went and the bouncer attempted to confiscate them once - yeah that was quite amusing as I inject every 3 hrs. When I explained she said 'sorry, needles are needles you'll have to leave them here or leave the club!

To this I said no problem, I'll leave them here whilst I go and speak to the manager. After a nice discussion about discrimination and the seriousness of hypoglycaemia, I got to keep my stuff and a free drink for the trouble plus I insisted they trained their staff better to recognise people with diabetes.

It is discrimination and provided you don't spend the entire night wafting your insulin pen in the air (like you do) - you are always within your rights to keep your stuff on you and any decent club will let you! Anyone who doesn't, simply don't deserve business - in which case spread the word how pathetic they are.

Take care and enjoy Uni - and never let diabetes stop you doing anything you want to - there's always a way ;-) em

Patch said:

But any decent club should have the facility in the office to hold your diabetic kit for you...

Click to expand...

Maybe so Pat but I'd rather leave the club than leave my insulin with someone I don't know.

Good point - but no-one ever said you can't have insulin in a club.

It's the sharp pointy thing that they need to control.

Patch said:

Good point - but no-one ever said you can't have insulin in a club.

It's the sharp pointy thing that they need to control.

Click to expand...

Yeah tbh I'm not sure what the criteria is with regards to needles in nightclubs, as I say I've never been asked, searched or declared it in a nightclub in my younger days.

Hi,
The Disability Discriminaation Act requires that business owners 'make reasonable accommodations' to avoid discrimination against a person with a disability. It may be arguable that their looking after your insulin is suffficient to satisfy this test although the law is that they must discuss the accommodation with you. If you do not agree that the club looks after your pen/needles etc, this is not a solution. You want to keep hold of your insulin, they want to relieve you of it or evect you from the club. The last action almost certainly would be discriminatory.

It's the same problem with airlines. It was bad after 9/11 (I was in California at the time and got swept up in the hysteria. The nice lady on security insisted on opening my needle cutter. Result, 2500 needle tims everywhere, and all of us in stockinged feet.)

It has got better.

In answer to the question "have you any sharp objects?" I sing out, "Only my insulin pen and stuff" sometimes I add "I've got a doctor's letter if you want to see it...." Usually they don't, just satisfied that I have one (It's a decade out of date)

Have you thought of carrying a letter from your GP?

"To whom it may concern
Jleafe is suffering from diabetes and it is imperative that he carries his insulin pen with him at all times"

It may help. Not being a habitue of clubs I can't attest to the effectiveness of this approach. It can't hurt.

Robert wt
Mad as a box of frogs

T1, diagnosed 1996.
Novorapid 6i/u TPD
Levemir 62i/u am and pm
Metformin, 1000g BD

Hi ya, situations like this say more about the small town club than you (or anyone else with type 1 diabetes for that matter!). You have absolutely been discriminated against and the sad part is, the guy who did it probably didn't even realise! It sounds like he was swept up in some 'anti drugs' campaign (perhaps he's been warned before?) so he was on some kind of 'zero tolerance' mission. As all type 1's know, this is not acceptable to someone who HAS to carry pens/needles and other equipment for life saving purposes!

Feel sorry for him and if you can bear it, educate him. You will probably be wasting your time but he is clearly clueless about medical conditions which need 'medicine' to be injected. Lucky guy! lol

all the bext,

Deb

Where was this club and what is the name?

I have never had problems and I go out quite a lot. But I am always safe in the knowledge that if anyone says anything that establishment will be probably closed down within the month due to me suing them for ignoring the DDA and going to the papers with my story

Maybe I was just lucky but on my last visit to a gig at the Barrowlands in Glasgow, I was frisked on entry.
The security guard saw my injection pen and asked if I was diabetic, when I said that I was he pointed out that there were food outlets on all floors in case I needed to eat and that there was a first aid station on the first floor.

As I say , maybe I was just lucky but I'd like to think that some venues train their staff effectively?

Sandy

sandyb29a said:

Maybe I was just lucky but on my last visit to a gig at the Barrowlands in Glasgow, I was frisked on entry.
The security guard saw my injection pen and asked if I was diabetic, when I said that I was he pointed out that there were food outlets on all floors in case I needed to eat and that there was a first aid station on the first floor.

As I say , maybe I was just lucky but I'd like to think that some venues train their staff effectively?

Sandy

Click to expand...

what fab service! I have a theory about people like that when it comes to type 1 diabetes, they fall into 1 of 3 categories:

1) he had type 1 himself
2) he was related to someone or had a close friend with type 1
3) he'd been on 'duty' when someone had been hypo!

Actually, I'll add a 4th category, perhaps he was just exceptionally well trained and good at his job! lol

sandyb29a said:

Maybe I was just lucky but on my last visit to a gig at the Barrowlands in Glasgow, I was frisked on entry.
The security guard saw my injection pen and asked if I was diabetic, when I said that I was he pointed out that there were food outlets on all floors in case I needed to eat and that there was a first aid station on the first floor.

As I say , maybe I was just lucky but I'd like to think that some venues train their staff effectively?

Sandy

Click to expand...

That is good to hear, obviously the security staff has been well versed in diabetes :thumbup:

The club mentioned at the beginning of this thread has clearly breached the Equality Act (which consolidated the Disability Discrimination Act - DDA) and a civil action can be taken in the County Court for compensation for the discrimination you have suffered. It is only by exercising our rights as disabled people that we will get service providers to treat us fairly. By all means contact the press but a trip to a Citizens Advice Bureau or local disability action group to initiate action under the Equality Act would be my advice.

Take care.

Doug
(Previously Policy Manager of the first rights of access to goods and services in the DDA for the Government Disabilty Policy Division)

Hi All.
I recall going to watch a music concert [manchester] and plastic bottles of water or juice
were not allowed inside the huge building.
I let the security guys know I was a diabetic - they searched my handbag examined
my testing kit and pencil case with my insulin kit in .

Then waved me through saying "keep the lot plus your water bottle" and we are here if
you dont feel well...
Told me and my friend to find the same door as they would be there 'all night' .
If I became unwell etc...

We maybe got lucky considering the OP post here .
Which must have been a distressing experience for him.
Anna.

Osidge said:

(Previously Policy Manager of the first rights of access to goods and services in the DDA for the Government Disabilty Policy Division)

Click to expand...

Wow. That's pretty impressive Doug. Does that make you a former "QUANGO"?

That's absolutely shocking! Sorry to hear about your experience.

Myself personally i've never had a problem whilst out clubbing, I used to keep my insulin pens in my pockets or bags and people were usually ok about it!

I'd definitely think about contacting a newspaper to share your story, we as diabetics need to stick together and make people aware that we have to keep our kits close to us and we're not about to go around stabbing people with our own needles!

I usually do the same anna29 - once at the MEN in manchester they wouldn't let me through but once I kicked up a fuss and explained they did and said sorry haha.