The Penthouse Nightclub in Vancouver is famous for clever messages on its marquee, but its latest one landed it in hot water with a major social media platform.
The Vancouver strip club decided to wade into some Donald Trump-related political drama with its display on Wednesday, changing its sign to read, “Forever Neighbours, Never Neighbors.”
The line referenced different American versus Canadian spellings for certain words — and opposed Trump’s apparent desire to make Canada join the US.
By that afternoon, The Penthouse’s account on X was suspended. The social media platform said the profile violated the hateful profile policy.
Benjamin Jackson, Bar Manager and Marquee Maker at The Penthouse in Vancouver.
“I was shocked by their decision as I didn’t think the sign crossed any lines,” said Benjamin Jackson, Bar Manager and the sign’s creator, to Daily Hive. “This is the first time that we’ve been suspended by X.
“It’s just my speculation, but hopefully someone will review the tweet that people reported, realize it’s not as bad as it seems, and it will be lifted. But to get an answer out of X is impossible.”
The Penthouse/X
Jackson came up with the tongue-in-cheek Penthouse marquee while flying home from Toronto early on Wednesday morning.
“I was in the Air Canada lounge watching the news, and the biggest topic was Trump talking about Canada becoming the 51st state,” he explained. “I was texting with the owner Danny about the sign, and as the plane took off, the one we went with popped into my head. I was excited to share it, so as soon as I got home, I changed the sign around 2:30 am.”
Jackson woke up later that day to find that his latest Penthouse sign was going viral with thousands of views and reposts. He also soon learned that a photo of the “Forever Neighbours, Never Neighbors” sign had caught the attention of X, leading to the profile’s current suspension.
Supporters of The Penthouse called out the ban, questioning why its account was labelled as “hateful.”
Hey @X, you can’t be serious that this is a ‘hateful profile’?#ThePenthouse604 pic.twitter.com/agr7wtYpZI
— John George McCracken (@BigJMcC) January 10, 2025
So happy I got a screenshot of this beautiful sign before their account got suspended (apparently because of this marquee) ❤️ @ThePenthouse604 #neighbours #thepenthouse604 pic.twitter.com/Mg7Gifm3FE
— Rox Cugnet (@_roxyroller) January 10, 2025
According to the X Help Centre, the platform may add notices to accounts if they “determine that a person has violated the rules in a particularly egregious way, or has repeatedly violated them even after receiving notifications from us.”
Jackson said that he is happy that the latest Penthouse sign has people talking and that he hopes it helps make people laugh, too.
“If people tell me the sign made their day or that they walked down Seymour to see it for themselves, it makes me happy. I’m also glad the sign can help take some of the stigma away from the strip club and break down some barriers.
“Sex work is real work, so come anytime to support the girls at the Penthouse.”
With files from Amir Ali