Discrimination?
Hi,
I went into a barbershop to wait for my boyfriend to finish getting his haircut, and I was informed that no women are allowed in the shop and told to leave. However, I did not see any signs posted. Is it legal to have a men only hair salon in California with or without having any signs posted?
Re: Discrimination?
This is an interesting question and a bit surprising to me -- not the question, but the barbershop's attitude.
No, it is not legal to forbid women from entering a public business, and signs do not matter. It is no more acceptable than it would be to have signs saying "No Whites" or "No Methodists".
It is permissible to only cut men's hair -- the law does not demand that a shop provide services to anyone, and it is fine to just offer men's haircuts. However, it is not legal to expel women from the shop.
One issue in any lawsuit, though, is damages. Your damages are not too great in this situation -- this is not the kind of lawsuit which would make anyone wealthy. However, it would probably still be worth pursuing.
Feel free to call or email my office if you are interested in a free consultation.
Yours truly,
Amy Kleinpeter
http://www.amykleinpeter.com
Re: Discrimination?
This is an interesting question and a bit surprising to me -- not the question, but the barbershop's attitude.
No, it is not legal to forbid women from entering a public business, and signs do not matter. It is no more acceptable than it would be to have signs saying "No Whites" or "No Methodists".
It is permissible to only cut men's hair -- the law does not demand that a shop provide services to anyone, and it is fine to just offer men's haircuts. However, it is not legal to expel women from the shop.
One issue in any lawsuit, though, is damages. Your damages are not too great in this situation -- this is not the kind of lawsuit which would make anyone wealthy. However, it would probably still be worth pursuing.
Feel free to call or email my office if you are interested in a free consultation.
Yours truly,
Amy Kleinpeter
http://www.amykleinpeter.com
