A ventriloquist brought out one of his puppets during a show celebrating Touche bar’s 45th anniversary and put on a performance that attendees called racist and transphobic. Touche manager David Boyer released a statement Wednesday in which he apologized.
“ at Touché's 45th anniversary celebration, puppeteer Jerry Halliday included racist and transphobic puppets and jokes in his act. We deeply regret not vetting the entertainer prior to the event,” the statement reads. “We apologize for not reacting and stopping the show. People were harmed by his words. Racism and transphobia are wrong, we need to do better.
“After the shock wore off, it was sad and disappointing, because you would hope that people know better at this point. It also was frustrating because the general manager was sitting at a table right in front of the stage,” Smith said. “I noticed what was going on onstage. I noticed a few other people around the bar kind of with pained faces on, so I was just kind of quietly going around and just checking in with my friends. wasn’t intentionally engaging with the puppeteer. He kind of called me out. Lots of people were talking — I don’t know why he singled me out for talking and having quiet conversations.
Torres, a frequent patron, told the Tribune the performance “felt like a huge slap in the face on the community, from all these people and from all the marginalized groups that have poured their free time, energy and soul into making this bar what it was.” Touché bartender Cris Bleaux walked out and quit in the middle of his shift Tuesday after feeling uncomfortable with the jokes Halliday was making.
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