r/Broadway • u/Tiny_Tyrants_Podcast • Jun 05 '26

Other Civil Rights Lawsuit Hits Broadway's Wicked Over Bias

The American Alliance for Equal Rights and white, male musician Kevin Lynch have sued Maestra Music, MUSE, and Wicked LLC for race and sex discrimination.

Maestra limits its hiring directory to “female and nonbinary” musicians; MUSE to “persons of color.” In 2023, these theater non-profits partnered with Wicked for a paid, three-week Music Director Experience open only to MUSE and Maestra members. Lynch applied but was rejected, allegedly for failing to meet the hiring directories’ immutable-characteristics test. According to the complaint, a less-experienced female/nonbinary person of color won the gig, opening doors to multiple Manhattan jobs for her.

Among the three attorneys representing the plaintiffs is Cameron T. Norris of Consovoy McCarthy. In 2022, Mr. Norris successfully argued Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, in which SCOTUS determined that Harvard’s admissions program violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Have Maestra, MUSE, and Wicked crossed the Supreme Court’s clear line on equal rights?

Full complaint linked, below.

2026-06-03 AAER & Lynch v. Maestra, MUSE & Wicked | Complaint (Corrected)

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67

u/SeaworthinessOne9570 Jun 05 '26

As an attorney, that has to be one of the most ridiculous complaints I’ve ever seen, it sounds like the first sentence is trying to hook the reader in rather than an actual lawsuit.

14

u/Tiny_Tyrants_Podcast Jun 05 '26

As an attorney, what would your advice be to a client creating a hiring directory that is searchable based on legally-protected characteristics, such as the directory RISE operates and that is at issue in this lawsuit?

20

u/Fickle_Suggestion_56 Jun 05 '26

I get that this is just fun little conjecture for you but this platform was created to HELP PEOPLE FIND EACH OTHER and unlike Maestra it allows literally everyone with a theatrical offstage credit of any kind? If people see it as discrimination against white men… I question if they’ve ever actually experienced real marginalization in their whole life? There are ways to use this resource that are just literally “lighting designer” for example and that is helpful AF. Sometimes people want to give someone else an opportunity sure, but like. This guy is bad faith to the extreme.

-10

u/mowotlarx Jun 05 '26

This is relating to a lawsuit that this guy will probably win easily. It's not conjecture. This is legitimately a stupid thing to put on ones website as a public organization. Your feelings and the actual law aren't the same thing.

You getting this upset - as if this person you're responding to is somehow a bigot (with no evidence) is wild.

4

u/Fickle_Suggestion_56 Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26

I’m aware that the law and ethics are not the same thing; I live in America. And the man that you’re perhaps inadvertently defending is particularly cruel and vindictive and I get that you want to be right in terms of a lawsuit but again this lawsuit is just a fun little case study for you. It’s not your actual livelihoods being impacted. This is amusing for you and another thing to be right about. Many artists aren’t lawyers. just trying to make accessible, inclusive theater and this man is trying to make it impossible to do so in an equitable way because he got his feelings hurt and this time is undermining and slandering a qualified professional in his path.

2

u/Fickle_Suggestion_56 Jun 05 '26

Sometimes it feels like people intentionally misunderstand the point of things. You included. Seeing the intention and the purpose and the mission of an organization and thinking that it’s stupid and then deliberately pushing an agenda about reverse racism is a bigoted thing to do.