(FORTUNE Magazine) – Six years after he forced Disneyland to give up its ban on dancing by same-sex couples, activist Andrew Exler is attacking another form of gender-based exclusion: a diet program for women only. Upset that he was barred from Gloria Marshall Figure Salons' weight-loss program, Exler sued the . . . chain in Orange County ((California)) Superior Court . . . contending that its female-only policy violates the Unruh Civil Rights Act . . . Exler, 29, of Palm Springs, seeks $1 million in punitive damages . . . ((His)) clash with the salons began . . . when he decided he would like to drop 35 pounds. A Gloria Marshall newspaper ad promised a 20-pound weight loss by Memorial Day . . . Exler charges that he . . . was refused membership because of his gender. Marshall said her program . . . is . . .designed to protect the feelings of her clients . . . ''When you're overweight . . . '' she said . . . ''You're not interested in disrobing in front of men.'' -- From a news report in the Los Angeles Times