In the summer of 2014, IndieWire’s Women and Hollywood blog put together an infographic that succinctly sums up the place of female directors in the current Hollywood studio system. The numbers, which specifically addressed films made by the big six studios (Warner Bros., Universal, Walt Disney, Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and Paramount Pictures) over the period of 2009 to 2013, were jarring, but nothing was as illuminating as the central figure: “In the last 5 years, only 4.7 percent of feature films released by a major studio were directed by women.”  

But is that vast gap between male and female filmmakers an actual violation of civil rights? The American Civil Liberties Union wants to find out. 

The New York Times reports that the A.C.L.U. “will ask state and federal agencies to investigate the hiring practices of Hollywood’s major studios, networks and talent agencies, and possibly bring charges against them, for what the organization described as rampant and intentional gender discrimination in recruiting and hiring female directors.” The organization has now issued a letter on the issue, addressed to various agencies, that lays out the reasoning behind this claim, along with a call for investigation, action, and change.

As ambitious as this plan is—and it is—the Times reminds us “there is precedent for what the A.C.L.U. is requesting. In the 1960s, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission held hearings about Hollywood and asked for the intervention of the Justice Department, which in turn found employment discrimination. A settlement was reached with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers and several unions: remedial measures included employment referrals for minorities, although not women specifically, and the A.C.L.U. said enforcement measures sputtered and ultimately failed.” Obviously, the A.C.L.U. and its supporters would like a different outcome this time around, but this is the kind of battle they have waged before, and it appears that the fight is getting a big injection of new blood.

Although the letters do not directly name the “worst offenders,” the organization has gathered its own numbers and spoken with at least 50 female directors as part of their anecdotal evidence gathering. What they believe—that Hollywood is a boys’ club that specifically aims to discriminate against women—is the sort of thing often chattered about in plenty of circles, and they’d like for it to change in an obvious and actionable way.

As the Times reminds us, “conversations around Hollywood’s disparate treatment of men and women have been gaining momentum of late,” fortunately enough, and the timing on this move is excellent. In particular, they point to the newly launched Shit People Say To Women Directors, which shares stories from female directors who have faced discrimination in the workplace and is an excellent way to raise your blood pressure and potentially have a ragestroke.

You can read the full letter from the A.C.L.U. right here.