Colorado Rockies face mediation over 'Ladies Night'

The Colorado Rockies have been ordered into mediation by state authorities after a man complained that he was denied a free "Ladies Night" game pass because of his gender.

The ruling comes from the Colorado Civil Rights Division, which concluded that the man, Stephen Horner, had a valid concern and it needs to be addressed, according to a report from KDVR-Television in Denver.

Horner reported he attended a Major League Baseball game with the Rockies in Denver in 2007 when employees of the team were handing out free vouchers to a future game – to women only. He said he asked for a voucher but was told he couldn't have one because he is a man.

He complained, but got no results, he claimed in a subsequent gender discrimination complaint with the Colorado Civil Rights Division.

"I felt like I got a bad deal," he told the station. "My rights were genuinely denied."

The state agreed in the division's notice of "Probable Cause," which ordered mediation in the dispute. The Rockies, who can appeal the decision, withheld comment because team officials felt it was premature to talk about whether such "Ladies Night" promotions will be dropped.

Team officials earlier reported it was their intent to give the vouchers to anyone who asked.

According to a report in the Rocky Mountain News, the state Civil Rights Commission also earlier voiced support for Horner when he complained of having to pay a higher cover charge when bars and restaurants featured "Ladies Nights."

"Ladies night promotions are an illegal practice and the commission urges public establishments to immediately cease and desist such practices," the commission wrote in his ruling.

Such promotions, the commission said, are inappropriate even though they are "dissimilar to other, more pernicious types of public accommodation violations."

"Why should I pay $5 [while women are admitted free] just because I'm a guy," Horner told the newspaper at the time. "Women are growing up these days feeling they are entitled to favors. I believe that this entitlement mentality is counterproductive to the social goals of an egalitarian society."

He's generated more than a dozen court cases over "Ladies Night" promotions in bars, and has lost several cases that ended up before judges.

But now comes the state opinion on his complaint that no organization would hand out coupons to just one racial or religious group, and genders should be treated the same way.

WND has reported several times on gender discrimination issues in recent months. However, most of those have not been cases alleging discrimination against men or women. Most have been concerns raised by groups over government officials who are insisting individuals with "gender issues" – and believe their "gender" and their physical characteristics don't align – be given access to public accommodations matching the sex they believe they are rather than their physical characteristics.