The rap song “Ladies’ Night” was a Grammy-nominated Hip-Hop hit that featured Lil’ Kim, Left Eye and Angie Martinez, but the state of New Jersey has opted to go against that grain. The state enacted a new law that bans bars and clubs from promoting so-called ‘ladies’ night,’ citing gender discrimination.
The state ruled that discounts to women on such evenings were gender-based promotions and thus discriminated against men.
The issue was raised after David R. Gillespie challenged the promotion in courts, when he was charged a $5 cover at a bar and paid full price for drinks. Meanwhile, females entered the bar free and were treated to discounts.
During the New Jersey Boys afternoon radio show on a local New Jersey station, the jocks and callers ridiculed the state as well as Gillespie.
“Maybe Gillespie is gay, or frustrated,” joked one caller to the show.
Another stated that the barring of the evening was the result of women’s quest for the same treatment as men.
“You couldn’t do a promotion only entitling white people to reduced admission,” pointed out one caller from Staten Island, New York. “Women should accept it.”
Similarly, certain states, such as Pennsylvania, Florida and Iowa have ruled such promotions are illegal, while Illinois and Washington state said that its not discrimination, but incentive for women to patronize the bars.