Men should be allowed into lesbian bars.

Well, thanks for accepting my challenge, theLwerd. As usual, my opponent has put forward some very impressive-sounding arguments and expressed them in an extremely convincing manner. Therefore, on this occasion (and this occasion only) I would ask the members to vote on the issues, rather than the quality of the debate! You see, some very dodgy politicians have risen to power through effectively promoting preposterous policies - policies that in sober analysis would seem outrageous, but have been nonetheless been implemented because the electorate have been convinced by that politician's rhetoric and force of argument. Margaret Thatcher was a frothing nutjob who decimated British manufacturing and heavy industries, but I met her and also watched her make speeches when she was at the height of power and she was, undeniably, a formidable and impressive character. I believe that theLwerd possesses similar powers of persuasion (albeit she is not quite as evil or mad as Thatcher!) Now I've got that off my chest, I would like to address my opponent's points. Her first and second points addressed, in short, sexual discrimination, claiming, in the legal sense, that is usually confined to the workplace and that a private establishment may limit admission to women, to protect them, rather than to discriminate against men. Perhaps in the US, anti-discrimination legislation is confined to the workplace. Here in the UK, however, golf clubs and gentlemen's clubs (in the traditional sense, rather than in the sense of a lap-dancing club) and working-men's clubs, had strict male-only membership policies. Now they are obliged by law to admit women. However, this may be a legal requirement, but I would contend that it is also a moral one, and that same moral principle should apply in the US, whether or not it is legally enforceable. In the case of a club that refuses admission to all men, based solely on their gender, disregarding their general demeanour, must be considered blatant discrimination. I agree that a pack of drunken yobs hoping to see some live, red hot, XXX girl-on-girl action, free of charge, and subsequently bundle inside the club shouting things like "come on girls, lez it for the lads" might be intimidating to the customers and so should be refused admission. However, my friends and I were (reasonably) sober and (ostensibly) respectable and would have posed no threat to the occupants of the lesbian bar. The management have the right to refuse admission, of course, but it must be justified. Clearly a pub that had a sign up outside saying: "All welcome (except foreigners)" would have a tough job defending this admission policy, morally, even if not legally. My opponent was correct in her assumption that I did not try and pass myself off as either a gay man or a lesbian. My impressions of a gay man are, at best comical, at worst offensive , but either way, utterly unconvincing. I toyed with my opponent's idea of buying a dress and a wig together with some false breasts from the joke shop and disguising myself as a woman in order to gain illicit entry into the Candy Club. However, I am six feet four inches tall with a stubbly chin and I suspect my ploy would be soon exposed! My opponent's third point implied that the presence of males may discourage some women from attending lesbian bars and that, as a result, the bars may lose money. I dispute this point most strongly. I spend a King's ransom on booze and so do all my mates, whereas women tend to just sip coffee or Pimms and lemonade and can make a couple of drinks last all night. And, anyway, if they want to go to an all-female / gay male environment, there's always Starbucks! I believe that, in a modern, liberal-minded society, women can only progress on the basis of having a truly equal playing field with no special privileges accorded to either gender.