Debate: Ladies Night=Discrimination?

[treesinger]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,121579,00.html

TRENTON, N.J. — The state's top civil rights official has ruled that taverns cannot offer discounts to women on "ladies nights," agreeing with a man who claimed such gender-based promotions discriminated against men.



David R. Gillespie said it was not fair for women to get into the Coastline nightclub (search) for free and receive discounted drinks while men paid a $5 cover charge and full price for drinks.

In his ruling Tuesday, J. Frank Vespa-Papaleo, director of the state Division on Civil Rights, rejected arguments by the nightclub that ladies nights were a legitimate promotion. Commercial interests do not override the "important social policy objective of eradicating discrimination (search)," he ruled.

The ruling specifically addressed the weekly ladies nights (search) at the Coastline in Cherry Hill, but it carries the force of a court decision and applies statewide. Vespa-Papaleo said state officials would write formal rules after a public hearing.

The restaurant's attorney, Colleen Ready, did not immediately return a telephone message left Wednesday by The Associated Press.

Courts in other states have issued divergent opinions on such promotions.

Judges in Pennsylvania and Iowa have said similar events are illegal, but courts in Illinois and Washington state have said that ladies nights are permissible because they do not discriminate against men but rather encourage women to attend.

Seems absurd doesn't it? But on the legal merits, I think he has a case. Of course, does this mean that seniors don't get a discount either? Isn't that discrimination.

 

[MHopkins2]

Here's why this guy is a moron.* The whole point of Ladies Night is to pack a bar with drunk women --> women who therefore are more likely to be friendly to the male attendees. Duh.


* To be fair, I guess he could be gay and therefore not care about the drunk women, and just want the cheap drinks!

 

[katerkat]

I dunno - what about military discounts, and as you said, senior citizens discounts? For that matter, what about the discounts I get as an employee of my store? Isn't it all discrimination?

 

[treesinger]

But what if it was "Whites night", where whites were free with half price drinks? What's the difference? It's done to dirve business up on slow days to a target group, same as ladies night.
You bet the ACLU, NAACP et. al. would be draped over it like lake effect snow!

 

[katerkat]

Yeah, I know... But is there a line to be drawn? Or do we just not have discounts anymore? Because ANYTHING could be considered discrimination.

 

[disykat]

Ladies discounts are different than the others and I agree that they could be seen as discriminatory. People can join the military, get old, get a job there, etc. A man can't get a ladies night discount (though with gender operations this could be debatable too). I would guess that this lawsuit was done as an obnoxious prank.

Personally I think he just shouldn't have given them his business if he didn't like their policies and that businesses should have the freedom to give discounts as they please.

 

[TigerBear]

Interesting...There is a male strip club in Houston that will not allow men unless they are with women. There is also a swingers club that will not allow a man in if he does not have a woman with him. Single women are always allowed. In my eyes these are more extreme examples of sexual/gender discrimination than "Ladies Night" discounts.

 

[RachelEllen]

Goes the otherway too. Many female strip clubs don't let single women in.

Rachel

 

[treesinger]

Just realized I didn't post my opinion. Bad OP!

I think private enterprises should be allowed to make their own rules. If you want ladies to be free all the time, fine. Blacks only? Great! Latino's under 30? Bueno!

I think we've moved far enough past the "fighting for civil rights" era where minorities had to be protected because of the Great White Racist Majority. The playing field hasn't been completely levelled, but I think it is levelled enough that we shouldn't have to legislate the behavior of private businesses anymore. Then consumers can decide if they agree with the practices of said businesses and patronize them or not. The free market will only let the successful survive.

 

[MosMom]

What about gentleman's clubs (I don't mean strip clubs)? Those private clubs for rich men to gather and women aren't welcome. They do still exist and I've never heard anyone challenge them.

 

[cynsaun]

Originally posted by TigerBear
Interesting...There is a male strip club in Houston that will not allow men unless they are with women. There is also a swingers club that will not allow a man in if he does not have a woman with him. Single women are always allowed. In my eyes these are more extreme examples of sexual/gender discrimination than "Ladies Night" discounts.

LOL! And, How do you know this?

 

[N.Bailey]

I think clubs should be allowed to set their own rules too. If you don't like it, you don't have to go!

You guys want to start paying what woman have to pay for a haircut? Do you think it takes that much less time to cut a man's hair than a woman's (perhaps my husband, LOL, he's balding)? I go in, am rarely shampooed (I could insist on that, but I just washed it and they know it before I headed for the cut), and I really don't let them style mine either, cause I come straight home and rewash it anyway. I am good friends with the person who cuts my hair (actually distant family), but $25 for a woman's cut, and $12 for men and kids. Yeah, that's fair! I know it's even higher in bigger areas.

Someone in my town raised heck a few years ago about woman's night at our local fair. They did away with it. In time, that decision probably effected 98% of the people(families paying effects the men too, and a guy paying his GF's way in would be effected too), but it's what happened.

 

[JuliaEeyore]

Originally posted by MosMom
What about gentleman's clubs (I don't mean strip clubs)? Those private clubs for rich men to gather and women aren't welcome. They do still exist and I've never heard anyone challenge them.

Or some old fashioned Yacht Clubs? I'm 27 and my DH is 29. "We" belong to a very simple, (read: not snooty) yacht club because we have a boat and it's a great place to keep it with super cheap rates. I put "we" in quotes because I'm not actually a member. No woman is allowed to be.

In all honesty, it doesn't bother me. Thems the rules of the club. I still have all the same perks. I just don't have to put in the work hours that all the male members have to - building docks, dredging the channel...

Only one woman has challenged it in 50 years. And she didn't have time for the work hours so she backed out before she went up for being voted in.

Julia