Men get undressed for dinner

The Supreme Court in Louisiana has ordered a country club to open its men-only restaurant to women, rejecting claims that members sometimes dine there in the nude.

“In the 21st century, it is simply archaic to cite protection of women from the sights and sounds of a locker room environment as an excuse for excluding them from the public dining area,” Justice John Weimer said.

The decision upheld an appeals court ruling against Southern Trace Country Club in Shreveport.

The club has three restaurants including The Men’s Grille.

According to the high court, the club failed to prove its claim that allowing women into the restaurant would violate men’s privacy.

Witnesses had given evidence that some men ate at the restaurant dressed in a towel or nothing at all, but that violates the club’s own dress code requiring “casual but appropriate attire” in dining areas, Weimer wrote.

A female golfer, Julie Lafargue, had complained about the rule and sued the club and its owner, Club Corporation of America.