PLEASE, SAVE THE PINHOOK.

Since 2008, the Pinhook has had its doors open for everyone. And, no, not just for the stereotypical jaded punk bro who doesn’t fit in with his peers or for the people who want a place to drink on the weekend. The Pinhook has its doors open for the outcast and oppressed. The Pinhook’s doors are open for trans people, for women, for people who aren’t straight, for dis- abled people, for people of every race and ethnicity, for victims of abuse, and, by god, the Pinhook keeps us all safe. roundings can always threaten a person’s safety.

There are so few safe spaces in this community, and I’d even venture to say in most local music communities. The Pinhook is one of the few places in the Triangle I can feel comfortable peeing at (a big “hell yeah!” to gender-neutral bathrooms!). It’s hard to come by a

It’s hard to come by a show space with a list of intolerable behaviors painted in big letters on the wall, like it’s screaming out for the oppressed and overlooked to please, please respect us. ment of financial burdens, those very doors are being threatened to close. To me, and to so many others in the Triangle, the Pinhook represents something bigger than a place to see your favorite band.

Because of an amass-

Going to shows at the Pinhook for me is not outside of my comfort zone. As a mentally ill trans person, going to shows is hard. Engaging in “the scene” is hard. Being in public with strangers who cannot grasp certain facets of your identity is traumatizing. Cat-calling, non-consensual moshing, and general anxiety of your sur- show space with a list of intolerable behaviors painted in big letters on the wall, like it’s screaming out for the oppressed and overlooked to please, please respect us. It’s not every day that a public space demands safety. It’s not every day underprivileged people can feel at home in public.

The Pinhook is solace and it is fiercely demanding that solace for every person in attendance, every night, every week, and every year.

So, please, save the Pinhook.

C. PHILLIPS

HTTP://WWW.THEPINHOOK.COM/CALENDAR

UPDATE: ON FEB. 4TH, THE PINHOOK REACHED ITS $80,000 FUNDRAISING GOAL. LET’S KEEP PINHOOK ALIVE AND A SAFE SPACE.