The treasured all-boys choir is 500-years-old. That didn’t prevent a young girl’s family from suing the choir for “gender discrimination” to demand that their daughter be allowed in.
The German State and Cathedral Choir was founded in 1465 by Frederick II, Prince-Elector of Brandenburg. Although the judge initially ruled in favor of the choir because “the acoustic pattern of a choir is part of its artistic freedom,” the judge left the case open to appeal, saying “the case could serve as a ‘pilot,’” according to Deutsche Welle.
The Deutsche Welle reports, “The girl’s mother had brought the complaint on her daughter’s behalf and said that the rejection was discriminatory ‘in an impermissible way,’ and infringed upon her right to equal opportunities from an institution receiving state funds.”
In response, the boys choir said that their rejection of the girl wasn’t primarily because of the girl’s gender, but because it wasn’t “the desired sound characteristics of a boys choir.”
It appears that the boys choir was not free to simply say, “The choir is for boys.”
The choir’s representatives said, “Those siding with the choir argue that importance lies in the tone, not talent. Mixing the choir with females would end its traditional sound, they argue.”
It is expected that the court verdict will be appealed, and if it can be demonstrated that a girl can keep the tone of the choir, the 500-year-old Boy’s Choir will be forced to add females.
