Gay Law Prof Claims Discrimination Over Women-Only Movie Screenings

Stephen Clark, law professor at Albany Law School, decided to sue over a women-only screening of “Wonder Woman” after seeing the “snide” remarks that the theater was making to protests on Facebook. The Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas staged the women-only screenings of the film, and a vigorous conversation began on the theater’s Facebook page. “There was a vibrant argument happening on Facebook,” Clark told the Washington Post. “But when the theater responded to complaints, they were pretty snide about it and willing to mock anyone who had a complaint and that really struck me.” He added: “There is also the fact that what they were doing is illegal.” Clark filed an administrative charge with the city’s Equal Employment and Fair Housing Office alleging that the women-only event discriminated against male customers based on their gender. “I’m a gay man, and I’ve studied and taught gay rights for years,” Clark said. “Our gay bars have long said that you do not exclude people because they’re gay or straight or transgender – you just can’t do that for any reason.” Alexa Muraida, a city of Austin spokeswoman, told the Post that multiple people have filed complaints with the EFHO. Mayor Steve Adler delivered a sarcastic rebuttal to angry emails he received, defending the Drafthouse’s decision to host the screenings.