CARNAL NATION

The Australian Herald-Sun reports that Pinkalicious, a company which organizes dance parties for lesbians and bisexual women, has won a court case which allows them to exclude men from their events. According to organizer Samantha Stevens, a women-only policy is necessary because men tend to make unwelcome sexual advances toward lesbians: "It is a major concern that heterosexual males will attend the Pinkalicious event in the hope they can achieve their desire for a sexual experience with multiple women," she said. Julie MacKenzie, the company director, said she was "ecstatic" about the decision. "The feedback I was getting from the girls was that they wanted something exclusive for women to be able to express themselves in a safe environment," she said.

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which handed down the decision, has also several gay bars to prohibit women. However, there has been considerable controversy over the efforts of Rob Hulls, the Victorian Attorney General, to rewrite the Equal Opportunity Act of 1995 so that elite private clubs are no longer excluded from anti-discrimination laws. Although usually referred to as "gentlemen's clubs," the clubs are more like fraternities than strip clubs, and there are two women-only clubs in Australia. Many of the clubs date back to the 19th century and membership is by invitation only. In May, Hulls condemned them as "throwback[s] to a bygone era."

Mens's Rights Agency director Sue Price said that the decision gives Pinkalicious special treatment and described herself as "enormously angry" at the laws.