Do you think a man should be able to work at Hooters as a waiter? That is the question that was brought up on the Joan Hamburg Show when guest host Lis Wiehl spoke with attorney Martin Shellist. Shellist and his client, Nikolai Grushevski, have filed a federal lawsuit for the right to be employed as a server at Hooters, an establishment known for waitress in short shorts and tight tees.
Mr. Shellis said that his client does not want to be a “Hooters Girl,” “he wants to be a waiter.” He went on to say that Grushevski lives in the town of Corpus Christi Texas, and that Hooters is one of the bigger employers for this line of work. He believes with the economy and job opportunities the way they are he should have the right of employment.
Attorney Shellist explained that there seems to be a misconception that if they win this case you will begin to see men working in topless bars, male Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, and you will soon see “big burly chested guys” as Rockettes. He wants Americans to know they are not at risk because there is an exception in law for entertainment. If people are true entertainers, an employer can allow a job to be filled because of gender. Not believing that a server in Hooters is an entertainment position he wants “men to have the opportunity to serve beer and wings like women do.”
Mr. Shellis agreed with Lis Wiehl that he will have a lot of work to do to convince the jury in this case, but he believes “discrimination is discrimination.” “We do not want to change the way Hooters operates, we just want men to have equal access.”
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