Mayor Steve Adler's office released a response Wednesday evening to an email bashing Austin and women after the Alamo Drafthouse scheduled all female screenings of 'Wonder Woman.'
"This one just felt like it needed a response," Adler told KVUE Thursday.
Adler's office said he received the following email on Friday, May 26:
"I hope every man will boycott Austin and do what he can to diminish Austin and to cause damage to the city’s image. The theater that pandered to the sexism typical of women will, I hope, regret it’s decision. The notion of a woman hero is a fine example of women’s eagerness to accept the appearance of achievement without actual achievement. Women learn from an early age to value make-up, that it’s OK to pretend that you are greater than you actually are. Women pretend they do not know that only men serve in combat because they are content to have an easier ride. Women gladly accept gold medals at the Olympics for coming in 10th and competing only against the second class of athletes. Name something invented by a woman! Achievements by the second rate gender pale in comparison to virtually everything great in human history was accomplished by men, not women. If Austin does not host a men only counter event, I will never visit Austin and will welcome it’s deteriorati on [sic]. And I will not forget that Austin is best known for Charles Whitman. Does Austin stand for gender equality or for kissing up to women? Don’t bother to respond. I already know the answer. I do not hate women. I hate their rampant hypocrisy and the hypocrisy of the “women’s movement.” Women do not want gender equality; they want more for women. Don’t bother to respond because I am sure your cowardice will generate nothing worth reading.
Richard A. Ameduri"
On Wednesday, Adler's office posted the following response to his website:
"Dear Mr. Amenduri,
I am writing to alert you that your email account has been hacked by an unfortunate and unusually hostile individual. Please remedy your account’s security right away, lest this person’s uninformed and sexist rantings give you a bad name. After all, we men have to look out for each other!
Can you imagine if someone thought that you didn’t know women could serve in our combat units now without exclusion? What if someone thought you didn’t know that women invented medical syringes, life rafts, fire escapes, central and solar heating, a war-time communications system for radio-controlling torpedoes that laid the technological foundations for everything from Wi-Fi to GPS, and beer? And I hesitate to imagine how embarrassed you’d be if someone thought you were upset that a private business was realizing a business opportunity by reserving one screening this weekend for women to see a superhero movie.
You and I are serious men of substance with little time for the delicate sensitivities displayed by the pitiful creature who maligned your good name and sterling character by writing that abysmal email. I trust the news that your email account has been hacked does not cause you undue alarm and wish you well in securing your account. And in the future, should your travels take you to Austin, please know that everyone is welcome here, even people like those who wrote that email whose views are an embarrassment to modernity, decency, and common sense.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Adler"
The Alamo Drafthouse announced that they would host all-female screenings of 'Wonder Woman' beginning June 2. The theater faced a lot of backlash and accusations of sexism, but the Drafthouse answered criticism by announcing more all-female screenings.
"While it's easy to be quiet, sometimes that silence is taken as acquiesce or even support so it's important when you hear things like that, that you at least note that that is just way off base," Adler explained.
“I’m the father of three strong independent women and I just did it," said Adler.
He told KVUE he plans to see the movie at Alamo Drafthouse.
"I think the real controversy here is that it's taken us this long to have a movie about a superhero who's a woman," said Adler.
KVUE spoke to Richard Ameduri by phone Thursday. He said he lives in St. Louis and has never been to Austin. He saw a story about the all-female screenings online, and felt they were "unnecessarily sexist."
He said he hasn't seen Adler's response and doesn't have any plans to read it.
"I don't know that that's a response from the mayor, it may be signed by him or his name is at the end," Ameduri said. "I don't pay any attention to it."
When asked if he will be visiting Austin any time soon, his response was a firm, "no."
"No, there are many places I won't be visiting soon," Ameduri said.
Adler's response has received national praise, including a "Bravo" from Chris Evans, who plays Marvel's Captain America.