Why Daniel Craig shouldn’t be going to gay bars

Daniel Craig has revealed his preferred spot in which to sink one of Bond's iconic Martinis - and it's a gay bar

Pouting aggressively as he passes a tray of shots around the bar, Daniel Craig - A.K.A 007 himself - has got a round in for the regulars - and everyone's smiling politely, wondering what the hell is going on. Could this be James Bond in your local gay bar? Yes, you heard that right - the Bond actor has said he likes going to gay bars. Given he's reimagined Bond as woke and in touch with his feelings, it's no surprise that Daniel Craig has revealed his favourite hangout is different to the posh West London bars his Bond forefather Roger Moore hung out in. During a recent radio interview, Craig told Bruce Bozzi's SiriusXM podcast that he's: "grown sick of the aggressive dick swinging" at what he called "hetero bars."

"Oh 007, you've blown your cover! You're not supposed to admit you're at the gay club to hit on women!"

He said: "I've been going to gay bars for as long as I can remember and one of the reasons [is] because I don't get into fights in gay bars that often... Everybody was chill. Everybody, you didn't really sort of have to state your sexuality." So far, so open-minded, Daniel Craig. You seem truly like a good ally... However, Craig's comments soon went went off the mark. "It was okay and it was a very safe place to be. I could meet girls there 'cause there were a lot of girls who were there for exactly the same reason I was there," he added. "So I was, there was kind of, you know, there was an ulterior motive," he continued, laughing. Oh 007, you've blown your cover! You're not supposed to admit you're at the gay club to hit on women! As Craig rightly said before, the whole point of a gay club is for it to be a safe space for everyone inside. Mainly the Queer people - but yes - their straight allies too. [caption id="attachment_293917" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Craig pictured in October 2021, being rewarded his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Photo: Getty)[/caption] Rocking up to a gay club to hit on women is selfish, tone deaf and blatantly ignores the purpose of gay clubs to act as sanctuaries for Queer people, away from what Craig rightly calls the "aggressive dick swinging" elsewhere. Aside from being insensitive, we'd argue Craig's comments will inspire other straight people to go to gay bars to pick up women too. Queer people have been calling out straight people for overtaking gay spaces for years, arguing that they should remain primarily for gay people. If they don't remain exclusive, the culture inside the clubs will change, taking away the safe space element and ruining the whole point of a gay club in the first place.

"As a queer person, some of my earliest experiences of kissing other men in clubs were ruined by straight men..."

It's a conversation which escalated recently on TikTok, where two lesbians went viral for calling out the bad behaviour of straight girls in gay bars. "They took [our] style and now they are taking our clubs," one of the women laments in the video. Craig's comments also demonstrate how little understanding the actor has of gay bars and the problems they face. While they are safe spaces for many, unfortunately others have experienced a widespread groping problem, suggesting they aren't necessarily such cosy retreats from the big wide world after all. Men’s health charity GMFA (Gay Men Fighting Aids) conducted a recent survey which revealed 62 per cent of British gay men have been touched in a bar without giving their consent. The stat doesn't single out gay bars - but talking heads who participated in the survey confirmed it was Queer spaces in some instances where they had received unwanted attention.

"If you're going to go to gay bars, go as the thankful guest of a gay person - not as a straight man exploiting the environment for your gain"

We're obviously not suggesting Craig has groped anyone. However, gay bars - like straight bars - have their own challenges. Craig suggesting that they are simply utopias for pulling demonstrates his ignorance toward gay culture and his lack of experience to speak from. If only Craig understood how it felt to be in a minority, he might have held his tongue. As a Queer person, some of my earliest experiences of kissing other men in clubs were ruined by straight men. Once, as I finally kissed a guy I was really into on a dance floor at a club at university, we were interrupted by a loud noise. "EURGH," bellowed two nearby straight men. We stopped kissing and stared at them blankly, then walked off to find somewhere we wouldn't be judged. [caption id="attachment_289930" align="alignnone" width="2000"] Daniel Craig in a still from his final Bond movie, No Time To Die (Photo: MGM)[/caption] Gay men, women and non-binary people go to gay clubs to get away from the prying eyes of non-Queers. We deal with that every day of our lives - and we don't need it in our safe spaces. Also, Craig may be surprised to hear that for me and my friends, gay clubs are often as joyous as they are because they feel platonic. They are often simply spaces where we can dance, chat and meet new people free of judgement. Daniel Craig, you're very welcome in gay bars. Just please promise you'll go with the right intention. You're even welcome to fall in love in gay bars - but that shouldn't be the main reason you're going to them. If you're going to go to gay bars, go as the thankful guest of a gay person - not as a straight man willing to exploit the environment for your own gain. And in my mind, it makes you no better than those aggressive dick swingers you claim to dislike so much. Related links: 

• No Time To Die's Ben Whishaw wants a gay actor to play James Bond
• No Time To Die Review: Is a woke James Bond someone we want in our lives?
• Gareth Thomas: All sport has a homophobia problem, but football is worst