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The End of Ladies' Night As We Know ItBar-ring discrimination in Jerseyby Sean Carter The balance of power between the sexes has gotten really out of whack. In fact, if the scales of gender justice were any more unbalanced, they could host a show on Fox News Channel. The sad truth is that the only way for women to have equal rights nowadays would be for them to give some rights back. Fortunately, New Jersey’s Director of Civil Rights has recently issued a ruling that may restore some parity between the sexes. The DCR has abolished “Ladies’ Night” in the Garden State as being discriminatory against men. In this case, a man sued a nightclub for charging him a $5 cover charge while letting women in free. He argued that the nightclub’s Ladies’ Night policy violated the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. The DCR agreed, ruling that Ladies’ Night discriminates on the basis of sex and is therefore, illegal. This ruling has generated a tidal wave of criticism every bit as powerful as Rosie O’Donnell jumping into the Atlantic Ocean…with a running start. Even the state’s governor, James McGreevey, criticized the ruling as “bureaucratic nonsense.” And while my initial reaction was similar, I’ve come to agree with the ruling. The simple truth of the matter is that the DCR had no other choice but to strictly enforce the law, which, by the way, doesn’t contain an exemption for Ladies’ Night. If the DCR used its power to just make law as it saw fit, then what would be next – city mayors marrying thousands of gay couples in violation of state law? Or perhaps, a U.S. Supreme Court justice would simply hand the election to his hunting buddy. Of course, I know these things could never happen in America but it’s something to consider. Perhaps, an even more important reason to oppose Ladies’ Night is that it’s pathetic. The purpose of Ladies’ Night is to attract a few women to the nightclub so that men will show up by the truckload to ply them with liquor and tell lies like, “I like candlelit dinners and moonlit walks on the beach.” However, even this wouldn’t be so bad if not for the implicit message Ladies’ Night sends to women. In effect, men are saying, “Ladies, please come hang out with us. I know you’d rather spend the night watching 'Golden Girls' reruns on the Lifetime Channel but if you come to the club, we’ll pay higher cover charges so you can get in free. Oh yeah, and we’ll buy you drinks too.” This is pathetic even by male standards; and that’s saying A LOT. Therefore, if, as men, we can’t muster enough self-respect not to pay women to hang out with us, then I’m grateful that the New Jersey Director of Civil Rights is doing it for us. Now, if the DCR would just do something those darn "Golden Girls" reruns. ________________________________ Sean is a practicing attorney who writes a weekly humor column on current legal events called "Lawpsided." Lawpsided pieces appear in a growing number of general circulation papers across the country, including The Los Angeles Times. Moreover, his musings on the law appear on nationally recognized websites, such as jewishworldreview.com, findlaw.com, newsmax.com and etherzone.com, and legal publications, such as The National Law Journal and The Los Angeles Daily Journal. Lastly, he is a regular contributor to national magazines like Razor and Tirade. If you would be interested in publishing this piece or seeing other samples of his work, please feel free to contact him by e-mail, by phone at (626) 786-2095, or through his website at:
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