A man from the mainland who was denied entry into MONA’s ‘ladies only’ lounge has taken the tourist attraction to the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, saying he was discriminated against for his gender.
New South Wales resident Jason Lau paid $35 to enter the museum in late 2023 and claims he was not informed of the lounge’s access restrictions when purchasing his ticket.
Designed by artist Kirsha Kaechele, the wife of museum owner David Walsh, the lounge features walls draped in silk curtains and showcases artwork alongside plush velvet lounges.
The lounge is guarded by male butlers who “live to serve women” and are under the strict condition that they only allow entry to people who identify as women.
“We are so deeply embedded in the dominion of man that we do not even see the myriad ways in which we adhere to and multiply his reign,” Kaechele said.
“And for this reason we need the Ladies Lounge. A peaceful space women can retreat to, a haven in which to think clearly and relish the pure company of women … to escape the invisible story woven through history.”
“The Ladies Lounge is a space exclusively for women, excepted only by a retinue of male butlers who live to serve women, attending to their every wish and showering them with praise and affection (in chivalry—the unequal rights component of any good reparations deal).”
“The Ladies Lounge is an essential space for perspective and reset from this strange and disjointed world of male domination.”
“There should be more of them.”
The one-day hearing in Hobart on Tuesday ended with women from MONA dancing out of the building to ‘Simply Irresistible’ by Robert Palmer.
The Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal is yet to make a public decision on the complaint, with MONA’s lawyers prepared to fight and take the matter to the Supreme Court if necessary.
