Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) has successfully won an appeal in the state’s supreme court to continue barring men from entering an installation known as the Ladies Lounge. The exhibition was closed in April after a man from Sydney complained that the museum was discriminating against him based on gender. However, the supreme court found that the Ladies Lounge qualified for an exemption under the state’s anti-discrimination act as it aimed to promote equal opportunity for women who are often disadvantaged or have special needs.
Justice Shane Marshall stated that the Ladies Lounge highlights the lack of equal opportunity for women in society by providing them with a unique experience of being advantaged. The tribunal’s decision to allow men into the female-only space was quashed, and the case was sent back for reconsideration. Mona, however, stated that they would not be reopening the Ladies Lounge until further instruction was received from the tribunal.
Artist Kirsha Kaechele, who created the installation, hailed the court’s decision as a triumph for women and the museum. She mentioned that the Ladies Lounge aimed to challenge the inequality experienced by women in all spaces today by providing a reversed universe where women had an advantage. The judge also acknowledged that the Ladies Lounge sought to highlight current and historical disadvantage faced by women and provided a space for the reversal of power imbalances.
The lawyer representing the man who lodged the complaint argued that the installation only reflected on historical disadvantage, but Justice Marshall was convinced by Mona’s evidence demonstrating ongoing disadvantages faced by women. Kaechele expressed gratitude to those involved in the case and emphasized the importance of challenging perspectives to refine understanding of women’s experiences and societal structures.
Source
Photo credit www.theguardian.com
