The Q Club faces accusations of discrimination by former co-owner, Frankie Sharp
The Q Club recently completed one year since owners Bob Fluet, Frankie Sharp, and Alan Pikus opened its doors in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. The venue, which was promoted as a place "for everyone” and attracted famous investors such as Jake Shears, Billy Porter, and Zachary Quinto, doesn't have much to celebrate though. Documents filed in the Supreme Court of The State of New York on June 10, 2022, by Frankie Sharp show detailed allegations of discrimination and mismanagement issues against his now-former partners, Flute and Pikus.
According to Sharp, "Pikus was vocal in his discriminatory beliefs and was hostile to the club catering to any group other than white young men." The event producer accuses his former partner of saying things such as “Make sure your Latin nights are the good kind of Latins. Not Blatinos" or “Don’t alienate the white boys". In the complaint published by Instinct Magazine, Sharp tells that Pikus wanted special measures taken against customers who “looked like they were from the Bronx”, and even told one candidate for bar manager the following: “I don’t need to break my back to hire people just because they’re black or trans.”
During the first year of The Q, four senior managers quit or were fired due to conflict with Pikus, according to Sharp. His allegations reveal that The Q was "allegedly developing a reputation as the place to go for underage drinking" and Pikus "was routinely engaging in workplace sex with customers" which led to "numerous staff complaints".
"Sharp’s investigation revealed that Pikus had ordered security to stop checking the IDs of customers he was allowing in. Pikus also ordered security to stop prohibiting the introduction of illegal drugs into the club, specifically GHB, a well-known and dangerous club drug that can also be considered a date-rape drug."
Sharp brought his complaints to the attention of Fluer, that "was dismissive". "But when Sharp showed Fluet security tape corroborating the staff complaints, Fluet gave Sharp an ultimatum: resign with 4% of net profits for the remainder of the lease and a small cash disbursement in exchange for signing a non-disclosure agreement (“NDA”) or: “I can simply terminate your employment.”
The event producer refused to sign the NDA and was terminated from his agreement with Fluet and Pikus.
As soon as the allegations were revealed to the public, The Q's Instagram page started to receive numerous messages of patrons manifesting their opinions. According to some users, they "deleted their most recent posts and restricted comments."
On July 5, 2022, The Q released the following message:
"The last few days have been extremely difficult for everyone who calls the Q their home. From the management to the staff, to the patrons.
Q was created specifically to serve the entire, diverse LGBTQIA+ community, offering our employees, talent, and patrons a sanctuary to express their individuality to the fullest.
While we vehemently deny the hurtful allegations that have recently surfaced, we are committed to end the very division within our community that Q’s programming and mission were designed to combat. Luis Fernando, who was hired in mid June to fill the role of Creative Director, will be taking over Alan Picus's role as Executive Producer of the Q. I look forward to what Luis will create.
On a personal note, I remain committed to fostering an open dialogue on how the Q can better serve our community and I will continue to invest in educating my staff - and myself - on the unique issues our community collectively faces. I will always strive to move the agenda forward for all, through my continued support of LGBTQIA+ organizations, non-profits, political leaders, and communities of color.
No form of racism, transphobia, colorism, or any other form of discrimination has been or will be tolerated at any of my venues. This is my commitment to you.
I thank you all deeply for your patronage and I hope that you continue to support us and support Luis during this new and exciting chapter at the Q!
Sincerely,
Bob Fluet"
Frankie Sharp also used his Instagram page to talk about the case. Read his full statement published on July 4, 2022:
"In light of recent events with respect to my ownership of the Q and my erstwhile partners there, it has occurred to me that I must make some kind of initial public statement. I believe that the claim speaks for itself and everything I have claimed is factual and supported by evidence. I am, however, at the beginning of a legal battle with considerable financial resources being marshaled against me so what I can say at this time is constrained. What I will say is this: I was, in a word: "gas-lit." The deterioration of the corporate culture at the Q did not happen overnight. These things never do. I must presume that the partners -in the beginning- had to keep me compliant at least long enough to acquire ownership of my intellectual properties, my credibility, access to my celebrity investors, and entry into my social network. Once the club was a proven financial success, and the partners believed they had taken what they wanted from me, their behavior swiftly darkened. I was frightened, diminished, silenced, and intimidated, but ultimately just deeply disgusted by the circumstances around my club. I was then chiefly worried about protecting myself,
our community, and my celebrity investors before something calamitous unfolded at The Q. When my last desperate ultimatums were ignored, my final and only recourse was in the law. My friends and investors support me in this legal action and are also taking immediate steps to separate themselves from this doomed collaboration. They are blameless in all of this and I am confident that the law is on our side.
What I always feared most was that those things which I could tangibly prove were only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. /2/2 incoming wave of harrowing anecdotes and new evidence from friends and allies throughout the city is vindicating that sad suspicion, but I cannot speak to those here. Not yet. I will tell my story in more detail when the time is right, but this claim is still in its infancy. There is much more to tell. Watch this space".
