American Alliance for Equal Rights Files Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit Against Broadway's Wicked and Two Nonprofit Music Directories for Race and Sex Discrimination

Lawsuit Challenges Employment Directories That Bar White and Male Musicians from Broadway Opportunities

FT. WORTH, Texas, June 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER) filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Wicked LLC, Maestra Music, Inc., and Arts Ignite Inc. d/b/a Musicians United for Social Equity (MUSE). The complaint alleges that all three defendants unlawfully discriminated against a qualified white male musician by barring him from a paid apprenticeship position with Broadway's blockbuster musical Wicked because of his race and sex.

The complaint is attached.

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The lawsuit was brought by AAER and plaintiff Kevin Lynch, a composer and music director from the New York City area who was excluded from the "Music Director Experience"— a paid, three-week intensive position with the play Wicked—solely because he is white and male.

The complaint alleges violations of 42 U.S.C. §1981, the New York State Human Rights Law, the New York State Civil Rights Law, and the New York City Human Rights Law.

In June 2023, Wicked teamed up with Maestra and MUSE to offer the Music Director Experience, a paid apprenticeship in which a selected participant would attend rehearsals and performances of Wicked, study the musical score, and receive one-on-one instruction from the show's Music Director. The position was advertised across social media and Broadway trade publications, and applications were solicited through a publicly accessible Google form.

As noted in the complaint, eligibility for the position was restricted exclusively to members of the Maestra and MUSE directories. Maestra's directory admits only female and nonbinary musicians. MUSE's directory admits only musicians of color. By design, white male musicians could not qualify for either directory; so, Mr. Lynch was accordingly excluded from participation.

The complaint further alleges that Maestra and MUSE continue to violate federal and state civil rights laws by maintaining employment directories that openly exclude musicians based on race and sex. Because these directories actively connect musicians with professional opportunities throughout the New York theater industry their discriminatory membership policies inflict ongoing harm on qualified musicians like Lynch who cannot fairly compete for the work they generate.

Edward Blum, president of AAER said, "Wicked is a story about a green-skinned witch who is feared, marginalized, and harshly judged because she looks different from everyone else. Its foundational moral lesson is that individuals should not be excluded because of immutable characteristics such as race or sex. Yet the organizations behind this apprenticeship program allegedly excluded applicants because of their race and sex."

Blum added, "The Supreme Court reaffirmed in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard that racial discrimination is unlawful in every context, regardless of who is favored or disfavored. The only quality that Kevin Lynch lacked was being the right race and sex. Federal and state civil rights laws do not permit that, and we intend to hold these organizations accountable."

Contact:
Edward Blum
703-505-1922
[email protected]

SOURCE American Alliance for Equal Rights