A club has apologised after it denied an autistic man entry for wearing a T-shirt that displayed the word ‘autism,’ deeming the shirt offensive.
Gary, 53, and his partner Julie, who have frequented the Wallarah Bay Recreation Club on NSW’s Central Coast for 15 years, were in disbelief when security turned them away.
Upon entering the club, Gary was asked to move his hands to allow security to inspect the shirt, which read ‘autism’ in Metallica-style font.
‘I thought at first they must have misread it,’ Julie told news.com.au.
‘But when we pointed out that it simply said ‘autism’, the staff member doubled down and said it was offensive.’
Another staff member arrived and, to their disbelief, sided with the security guards.
They were told they could stay for dinner only if Gary turned his shirt inside out.
According to club staff, they had recently received complaints about another patron who had worn a shirt featuring an offensive swear word – ‘c**t’ – and they had a policy against words on shirts that might be considered offensive.
Gary (pictured left) was denied entry to Wallarah Bay Recreation Club due to his shirt
A Wallarah Bay Recreation Club spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia there was a ‘terrible misunderstanding’ involving an autistic customer
A Wallarah Bay Recreation Club spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the incident was a ‘terrible misunderstanding’ after a staff member ‘overinterpreted the code’.
‘It was an inaccurate interpretation of the rules and not something we encourage,’ the spokesperson said.
‘We try to foster an inclusive environment. The last thing we want to do is cause offence to anyone, let alone a 15-year club member.’
For Gary, who is autistic, the experience was not just shocking, it was deeply personal.
He was diagnosed with autism later in life and had spent years struggling to be understood.
People often found him too loud or too direct and would misinterpret his communication style.
Wearing shirts that openly identified him as autistic had been a small but effective way of helping others understand his behaviours.
‘He has a few different shirts. One says ‘autistic and awesome’. People usually compliment him on them,’ Julie said.
Wearing shirts that openly identified Gary as autistic had been a small but effective way of helping others understand his behaviours, his partner said
Julie is in the process of filing a formal complaint with the Human Rights Commission.
‘I would love an apology and for them to train their staff on neurodiversity,’ she said.
‘If you’re going to have an opinion, at least have the knowledge to back it up.’
The club is currently planning to deliver a formal apology to Gary and Julie, hoping she won’t go to the Human Rights Commission.
‘It’s not an excuse, but earlier that same evening another customer had entered wearing a c**nt t-shirt and was told to wear it inside out,’ the spokseperson said.
The club said there would be a counselling process for the staff member involved.
Julie said the incident was a reflection of a deeper societal issue.
‘There is a lot of discrimination against autistic people, but it’s usually not this blatant,’ she said.
Julie believes the club’s reaction illustrated a wider problem in that autistic people are only accepted if they stay quiet and don’t make others uncomfortable.
