In a time not so long ago buying a movie ticket and going to the theater was not considered a political act. Watching a movie, especially a summer blockbuster such as “Wonder Woman,” has been one of the last collective experiences that Americans can enjoy regardless of race, gender, religion, or political persuasion. But, unhappily, as Stephan Miller, a conservative writer is finding out, segregation has returned to the film watching experience. He has dared to buy a ticket to an all-woman screening of “Wonder Woman” while a male and intends to see the movie as is his right under the law.
Social media is having a meltdown, according to Ricochet.
The Alamo Drafthouse’s experiment in gender discrimination
The Alamo Drafthouse, a chain of movie theaters where one can see a film and have a meal at the same sitting, decided to have a woman-only screening of the summer blockbuster movie, “Wonder Woman” at its Austin facility. The screening was thought to be a clever marketing ploy, having women fans watch the adventures of the iconic female superhero without having to put up with the company of men.
Social media firestorm starts to feed on itself
When male fans began to complain on social media about how the screening was discriminatory, the Alamo Drafthouse pushed back by adding more woman-only screenings, both in Austin and nationwide.
The movie chain and its allies in the entertainment industry were quite nasty in pushing back against the male fans, calling them “crybabies” and other names that cannot be repeated.
A guy buys a movie ticket, and the world goes nuts
Stephen Miller has bought a movie ticket for one of the woman-only screenings of “Wonder Woman” in New York and has announced on his Twitter feed that he intends to see the film peaceably.
The social media mob reacted with fury, with name calling and even threats that Miller should be barred from the theater, physically ejected if he gets in, and banned for life.
The women-only screening is illegal in New York just as it is in Austin
One thing that Miller has going for him is that denial of access to a public accommodation, which a movie theater is, on the basis of gender is against the law in New York.
Indeed, merely advertising the event has placed the Alamo Drafthouse in breach of the law. So if the theater manager stands in the auditorium door, like George Wallace, he or she will violate the law by so doing. The question arises, will Bill de Blasio’s New York City government enforce the law?
Of course, countries do exist where sexual segregation is the norm
Segregation in America was generally based on race, a practice that was thankfully swept aside with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Segregation by sex, with certain exceptions such as public bathrooms, never caught on. But that practice is the norm in countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran that follow strict, Islamic law. The irony surrounding this controversy is that the Alamo Drafthouse is following, what is in effect, sharia law in honor of a female superhero who behaves the very opposite to someone who must have a safe space free of the company of men.
