Gay basketball star John Amaechi 'too black' for Manchester gay bar

Gay basketball star John Amaechi claims that a gay bar in Manchester racially discriminated against him last weekend.

The former NBA player told Pink that door staff at Crunch on Canal Street told him he was "too big, too black and trouble" to enter with his friends.

He said a doorman allowed his friends inside but told him it was a private members' bar.

The bar claims that Amaechi's group of friends had been flagged by a joint radio system as having been "argumentative and aggressive to another venue’s door staff".

However, Amaechi said that his group had only visited two other bars, Taurus and VIA, that evening.

A representative for VIA said the bar does not have a radio link with the bar that allegedly denied Amaechi entry.

He said that Amaechi was in the club that evening and was "as always, very pleasant".

The representative added that he had heard no complaints about the former NBA star from any other bars which share VIA's radio link.

Crunch has not yet commented.

According to the BBC, 39-year-old Amaechi, who is a Manchester resident and patron of the city's Pride festival, said: "I want an explanation of what happened – a real true explanation – and an apology, and they have not in any way been forthcoming with that."

He has lodged a complaint with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Manchester city council and Greater Manchester Police.

Categories: England, Law, UK