Comedian Iliza Shlesinger’s Sued Over Girls-Only Show

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Summary: A female comedian was sued for wanting to perform for only women.

Comic Iliza Schlesinger wanted to celebrate girl-power with an all-female comedy show, but instead, she was punished with a gender discrimination lawsuit.

  

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, the winner of Last Comic Standing was sued by a 21-year-old man who was turned away from her California show. In his lawsuit, it began with a quote from George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” the lawsuit said.

The plaintiff George St. George is represented by attorney Alfred Rava, and in the 14-page complaint, the plaintiff said he was a victim of Schlesinger’s “war on men.”

In his lawsuit, St. George said that it is unfair for Schlesinger to have a girls-only show. He stated that if a male comic such as Andrew Dice Clay had chosen to have a boys-only gathering that it would meet the ire of feminists.

St. George said that he and a friend had purchased tickets to Schlesinger’s show which was called “Girls Night in with Iliza — No Boys Allowed.” He said that he and his male friend were allowed to enter but were told to sit in the back. When the two left to grab something to eat, they were turned away and offered a refund. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff said Schlesinger had changed her mind and only wanted women in the audience.

The plaintiff said that the gender discrimination he felt was similar to other forms of discrimination such as by race.

“Simply put, it is against many California laws for a business to discriminate against patrons based on their sex or other personal characteristics, such as race or sexual orientation which should surprise no one,” Rava said. “[The girls only show] repudiated hundreds of years of women’s struggles to be viewed as being equal to men and is typical of old-fashioned sexism that might also advise a young woman that her best chance for a happy life is to ace her home economics class and learn how to make a queso dip from Velveeta to catch a good man.”

The Hollywood Reporter said that Rava is well-known for fighting gender discrimination cases. For instance, in 2004 he filed a class-action lawsuit against the Oakland A’s after they gave away plaid hats to women at a Mother’s Day game.

St. George is suing Schlesinger, her talent agency UTA, and the show venue Largo at the Coronet. He wants an injunction on the comic from ever treating consumers differently based on sex and to undergo sensitivity training. He is also seeking financial damages.

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What do you think of St. George’s lawsuit? Let us know in the comments below.