Tavern Catering To Gays Will Get Liquor License

Sapphos, a proposed tavern in Kent catering to gays and lesbians, will get a state liquor license, state regulators said today.

Less than 24 hours after a heated public hearing, the state Liquor Control Board announced its unanimous decision and took a swipe at the opponents.

The board said the owner has a clean record and the city’s comprehensive plan and zoning do not limit new bars in the area. Opponents seemed motivated by a religious belief that gays and lesbians are immoral or are poor citizens, the board said.

The board receives scores of liquor license applications and most draw little or no reaction. But the Sapphos proposal drew some 30 speakers to a Wednesday hearing that lasted nearly three hours.

Foes said they opposed the license on two main grounds: their fear that adding another bar in the downtown core would hurt business and cause crime, and their opposition to gay bars.

License backers denounced what they saw as homophobia and bigotry.

Issues of temperance, whether a community has enough bars and whether gay bars are good or bad are irrelevant, liquor board member Mike Murphy said. The board bases its decision on background checks of the applicant and whether the application meets local laws and zoning.