Community activists are decrying what they describe as an ethnically and sexually offensive month-old Mexican restaurant and tequila bar.
Donkey Den, 1109 Lincoln St., is luring revelers with 1980s dance music and budget-minded drink specials. But for the past two weekends, patrons have been met by a growing band of protesters who think the bar’s name, along with such menu items as the “Donkey Punch Burger” and “Ho- made donkey fries,” are offensive.
Those phrases conjure images of the rumored “donkey shows” in Mexican border towns in which prostitutes are said to have sex with animals, the activists said.
Metropolitan State College of Denver student Zoe Williams spearheaded the demonstrations after spotting “Donkey Punch” T-shirts around town. The “donkey punch” is a sex act in which a man slugs his partner from behind during intercourse to heighten his orgasm.
“Acts of sexual assault and rape continue happening because they’re so normalized that restaurants can use them as advertising pitches and people don’t even notice,” said Williams, 19. “I would like to see the Donkey Den either change their name and menu or close their doors.”
Although donkey shows in Tijuana and other border towns are impossible to verify, the Internet is rife with anecdotal accounts of brothel bestiality.
Donkey Den owner Tosh Berman said he doesn’t understand what the fuss is about. He said the name Donkey Den was derived from a favorite taco stand in Cabo San Lucas that no longer exists.
“I’ve been to Tijuana many times, and I’ve never seen or heard of a ‘donkey show,”‘ said Berman, 26. “Anyone who comes down to the Donkey Den will immediately see there are no sexual innuendos.”
But visits to the restaurant are what spurred activists to post anti-Donkey Den messages on the Internet before organizing protests and a boycott. They say the Donkey Punch Burger, the restaurant’s boxing donkey logo and the establishment’s tag line – “Tijuana Ain’t in Mexico No More” – all are offensive.
Denver software engineer Todd Englund volunteered to build the protesters’ website, www.boycottdonkeyden.com.
“The theme (of the restaurant) is offensive and trivializes violence against women,” he said.
The bar’s website is www.donkeyden.com.
Berman said the restaurant and bar, which stocks more than 100 types of tequila, strives to provide a fun, classy environment without high prices. He said he liked the name Donkey Den because he thought it was catchy and memorable.
The entrepreneur said he plans to carry over the animal theme to three other ethnic- food restaurants he hopes to open in Denver and Boulder.
“I am surprised that people would try to equate that kind of negativity with such a fun space,” said Berman, who rejects suggestions to change the Donkey Den name or menu. “I am sorry that people are hurt by it, but any name can carry more than one meaning. Names are just names.”
Staff writer Elana Ashanti Jefferson can be reached at 303-820-1957 or ejefferson@denverpost.com.
