Gillian Matthews, 55, said she was left feeling humiliated after she was allegedly refused service at a city centre pub because of the way she looked, which is a symptom of Parkinson’s
A mother has expressed her distress after alleging she was denied service at a city centre pub due to her appearance. Gillian Matthews, 55, and her partner Mark Evans, 60, visited Coopers Town House on Cases Street in Liverpool last month.
The couple was attempting to order their third pint when Gillian was reportedly turned away at the bar. The pair claims that staff refused to serve Gillian because her eyes appeared “glazed”, a symptom Mark attributes to her “invisible disability”.
Gillian was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2018, which can sometimes affect her facial expressions, speech, and movement.
Mark recounted: “We were only on our third pint; we were perfectly fine. When Gill was refused the round of drinks at the bar, she came back to the table we were sitting at really upset.”
He added: “She has a badge that she takes everywhere with her that says she has Parkinson’s. I told her to give me the badge, and I went back up to the bar to tell the staff.
“The barmaid refused to acknowledge it.” The pair felt discriminated against and left the pub in a huff, with Gillian feeling humiliated by the incident, reports the Liverpool Echo.
A spokesperson for Coopers expressed deep regret that Gillian felt humiliated and discriminated against. Earlier that day, Gill had participated in karaoke at the same establishment.
Coopers frequently shares footage of patrons performing on social media platforms including Facebook and TikTok. According to Mark, a clip of Gill’s performance was posted online, and he alleges the responses turned cruel.
He explained: “People were ripping into her, saying she was lip-syncing, which is another symptom of Parkinson’s. They were also laughing at the way she was dressed. It was awful. People need to realise that other people have invisible illnesses.”
The pair revealed that Coopers subsequently deleted the footage, prompting Gill to lodge a formal complaint via email. The establishment’s staff acknowledged her concerns.
Mark revealed the incident has severely dented Gill’s self-assurance. He stated: “It’s totally knocked our confidence at going out.
“Gill has an invisible disability badge and toilet pass; she did everything right. She is also going through chemo at the moment; things are stressful enough. It’s been so upsetting for us. We’d only gone out to enjoy ourselves.”
Responding to the situation, a spokesperson for Coopers commented: “The team at Coopers are deeply sorry that Gill has felt humiliated and discriminated against, feelings which she has explained in her email. The team has told Gill that Maria, Cooper’s licensee, is currently away, and the matter will be looked into further when she returns on November 19, and the findings will be sent to Gill.
“Coopers’ reputation as an always fun and welcoming Liverpool institution is built upon its resounding sense of community, so the team wants to reassure Gill this matter will be fully investigated.”
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