Milwaukee sued by the "Naked Boys" over discrimination charges

Wednesday, 12th November 2008

Written by Francesca Cookney

A gay arts group has sued the American city of Milwaukee after one of its shows was closed down for being gay.

The Milwaukee Gay Arts Center (MGAC) began its run of "Naked Boys Singing!" in 2005 but was forced to cancel after officials claimed that the group were performing without a permit. The show was closed down and it was months before it reopened, resulting in some pretty hefty losses for the company.

Now, MGAC have taken the city authorities to court for violating its free speech rights. Few, if any other non-profit theatre groups have been required to get permits to perform, said legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, Larry Dupuis.

The fuss made over the permit for "Naked Boys Singing!" seems to have been a blatant display of discrimination rather than any genuine legal concern for the show. "I think the title made it kind of controversial," Dupuis said. "But of course, 'The Full Monty' has nudity in it, and that doesn't get threats to shut it down."

He also pointed to the lack of a definite time-scale for approving theatre permits, expressing concerns that officials can all too easily delay a show if they don't agree with its content. "It could be used to discriminate," he said, "and we suspect that there was some sort of discriminatory thinking that went into the decision-making somewhere along the line."

Please add your comment here. Your Name *: Email (private) *: Town : Country :

Quick Links