A gents-only fundraiser featuring beer, poker, big-screen TV and cigars? Try and slip that by the Washington State Human Rights Commission.

Fort Vancouver National Trust and the nearly extinct Vancouver Voice have joined together to host an "extraordinary guys event" this Friday eve, cleverly titled "Suits and a Keg". This event, meant to raise money for Fort Vancouver, is now under formal investigation by the Washington State Human Rights Commission for Civil Rights.

According to Sharon Ortiz, director of the Commission, if an event is open to the public and charging attendees, it must be open to both sexes under state law.

The investigation was sparked by a formal complaint from Vancouverite Rebecca Pullian that the paper's manager a freelance writer for the paper, Jared Hidden, specifically told her to not come to the party, as it is for men only and breastfeeding-free (she had requested to bring her breastfed baby).

When the complaint was filed, the ticket purchasing site for Suits and a Keg described it as a "guy's only" event. That reference has been removed, with the main website describing it more judiciously as "truly a guy's event."

President of the Fort Vancouver trust, Elson Strahan, responds via email, "We have not received any formal investigation inquiry, except for a call asking if we were excluding women, to which we answered in the negative." He added that men are only the "target audience" and than women are welcome to attend.

Vancouver Voice editor Ossie Bladine says that the VV has little to do with the event, and is unsure why it is mentioned in the complaint.

Earlier in the year, the fort hosted a financial summit specifically for women. On that note, here's one person who's defending the event.