Taxi Club comes out at last

The Taxi Club has reinforced its connection to the gay and lesbian community with a raft of amendments to its constitution.
For the first time in 50 years, the Taxi Club’s board and constitution directly reflect its clientele. All mention has been removed from the club’s official documents of its origins as a club for transport workers, and replaced with a stated commitment to the gay and lesbian community.
“To be a full member of the club you used to have to be a transport industry or taxi driver, but now any reference to taxis has been replaced with ‘GLBTI or supporting friends’, ” club general manager Michelle Mancini explained. To become a full member of the club, people will need to identify as GLBTI or actively express their support for the community.
“We’ve  previously been restricted as to who can go on the board, but now we can ensure we reflect what the club is truly about — we’re not about truck drivers, we’re about the GLBTI community.”
The reaffirmed commitment to the community will extend to charity events — a positive progression for the club itself, after a difficult period which almost led to its closure last year.
“We’re starting to see a turnaround,” Mancini said. “Like a lot of clubs around NSW we were affected by the rise in taxes on poker machines, so we’ve decided to go back to live entertainment and community events so we can get back to what the club should have been supporting.”
The club will host regular events to raise money for a ‘community chest’ of funds for local gay and lesbian charities and initiatives.