A new nightclub on Sydney’s iconic Oxford Street has had to reconsider its name following community feedback.

Kevin Du-Val, the owner, along with manager Michael Lewis, both known for running the beloved gay club Palms, were preparing to launch the multi-level venue originally named Pink Pony in early December.

In a social media announcement, they revealed the name was “boldly inspired by a song that deeply resonates with our community,” referring to “Pink Pony Club” by lesbian artist Chappell Roan.

However, Du-Val and Lewis faced criticism after promoting Pink Pony as a venue “primarily” for gay men aged 18 to 35.

“Reflecting our experience and passion, Pink Pony is being crafted specifically for 18-35 (or the young at heart) gay men who love dancing to intense dance music in a welcoming space designed for them,” they stated in a now-deleted post on social media.

In an interview with Gay Sydney News, Lewis added that women would be welcome but “our desire that it is predominantly gay boys, and when I say predominantly, I’m sort of talking 90 per cent plus”.

“Obviously, we’ve got legal hurdles … in terms of how much we can vet the crowd while still complying with the law.”

The Sex Discrimination Act considers the exclusion based on gender identity or sexual orientation as unlawful discrimination, but the Australian Human Rights Commission can grant some temporary exemptions from the rule.

This is usually determined on a case-by-case basis following a set of criteria and guidelines.

People have taken to social media to complain about Pink Pony’s name and door policy, saying it was ironic and exclusionary.

“Appropriating lesbian culture for your own money/benefit for gay men … This had the potential to be so great for our community and for Oxford Street. Sad,” event organiser Heaps Gay said.

“So it’s gay men only, but the name of the club is a song by a female lesbian pop star? Oh, I fear they missed the mark with this one,” one user said.

“Why would you name a club after a hit song by a lesbian pop star, and it’s not a lesbian bar?” another said.

This week, Du-Val and Lewis changed their social media handle to “new name coming soon” and apologised for “any hurt or offence” they caused.

“In our excitement to announce the launch of our new venture, our first thought was to let those in the community we envisioned would be the core clientele know we were building something for them, in hindsight our communication was clumsy and very poorly worded,” the pair said in a statement.

“Clearly the choice of ‘Pink Pony’ as a name was also an error of judgement given Chappell Roan’s well deserved reverence with queer women.

“We can see the issue with using the song name as inspiration for what was expected to be a predominately gay venue.

“We have taken the time to see from the perspective of others in our community, and see that we appeared arrogant and selfish, for that, we are sorry.”

Du-Val and Lewis added that all members of the LGBTQI+ community would be welcome in their new club.