Minnesota Declares 'Ladies' Night' Illegal

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights has filed gender discrimination charges against five Twin Cities bars, alleging that they violated the rights of men everywhere—by holding ladies’ night. “Gender-based pricing violates the Human Rights Act,” the commissioner tells the Star-Tribune, vowing to pursue every complaint received about on the matter. The state tried a similar crackdown back in 1994, but most bars shrugged and kept the cheap drinks flowing.

“It isn’t a matter of wanting to discriminate. If you’ve got 200 ladies, you have 400 men,” says a Tavern League of Minnesota official. “This is just a marketing niche.” The previous head of the Human Rights Department said he too sees no problem with the promotion. “It is on its face discriminatory,” he said, “but on a practical level, it’s a little bit of ‘Who cares?’” (More bar stories.)