Women-centric social club and coworking space The Wing has opened up its doors to men, according to The Insider.
The controversial women-only policy was dropped earlier this year as the firm faced a $12 million lawsuit, as well as a possible investigation into the companyโs sexual discrimination policy brought on by transgender and non-binary club members.
The Wing was founded in 2016 by Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan and has members like Glenn Close, Lena Dunham, Chelsea Manning as well as a partnership with the Timeโs Up movement.
In June 2018, James Pietrangelo filed a lawsuit against the company after being denied membership at The Wingโs Washington D.C. location and was told men could not become members. The lawsuit cites the District of Columbiaโs Human Rights Act, which states that businesses cannot deny service to people based on gender identity or sex. Since The Wing offers an array of services, supporters of the lawsuit say it constitutes as a business rather than a social club.
In September 2018, the company announced a more relaxed membership policy that read โall applicants will be evaluated based on their commitment to The Wingโs mission, regardless of their perceived gender identity.โ
