Summary: Some men are fighting back against female-only “Wonder Woman” screenings.
Last weekend, “Wonder Woman” lassoed its way to over $100 million at the domestic box office, and its female fans rejoiced that a major studio made a quality action film with a strong heroine at the lead. To celebrate all the girl power, Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse Cinema planned to host two women-only screenings this week, but the move may get the theater slapped with the wrong kind of action–legal action.
Albany Law School professor Stephen Clark told My Statesman that he is considering suing Alamo Drafthouse for discrimination. According to The Washington Post, he is filing a complaint with Austin’s Equal Employment and Fair Housing department and considering drafting a formal complaint with the city.
“I’m a specialist in anti-discrimination law, so I was fairly certain that this was not lawful,” Clark said. “If they were trying to do a gay-only ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ I would feel the same way.”
Clark said that he was turned off by the snarky Facebook statements from the theater regarding the female-only screenings, and it was this superior attitude that caused him to take action.
“Their attitude was really off-putting to me … the suggestion that anybody who pointed out to them that this was illegal was misogynistic or insecure,” Clark said to My Statesman. “Granted, a number of the men posting were nasty, but if you’re the one hosting the event and you’re already teetering on the edge of illegality, you might dial back the rhetoric.”
Alamo’s women-only screenings have generated cheers and jeers online. Feminists have rejoiced that the iconic superhero has finally gotten her own movie, while some meninists have protested by complaining. One male troll went so far as to purchase a ticket to the women-only Alamo screening, but it is unclear what his next move will be.
According to Austin city spokeswoman Alexa Muraida, six discrimination complaints have been filed with the city and are in the process of review. In Austin, there are specific city rules that state public accommodations cannot limit its services or goods on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identification or other factors. Businesses are also forbidden from advertising or publishing statements that indicate any exclusion of the groups listed above.
Austin’s Alamo theater’s creative manager Morgan Hendrix told The Washington Post that the complaints from males about the screening only vindicates the need for such screenings.
“That providing an experience where women truly reign supreme has incurred the wrath of trolls only serves to deepen our belief that we’re doing something right,” Hendrix said.
The theater had planned to exclusively staff women on the female-only nights, and Clark said that was also illegal.
In Austin, violating the aforementioned city code does not have a specific punishment, but the case could be referred to the city attorney for prosecution, My Statesman said.
Besides Austin, the Alamo Drafthouse is planning to host women-only screenings in New York and Denver. Jack Posobiec, a former coordinator for President Donald Trump, said that he had filed a complaint on Wednesday in New York City.
Source: My Statesman