Kansas, Overland Park, Lesbian couple with children excluded from country club membership.

[RKP5637]

Kansas again, a bigoted place, like others ...

Petition from Change.org.

My partner and I have been in a committed relationship since 1993. We have 2 children together, ages 8 & 6. We applied for membership to Brookridge Country Club in Overland Park, KS so that we and our children could be with and enjoy the same benefits as our friends, all heterosexual families. We were denied based solely on the fact that we are a lesbian couple.

http://www.change.org/petitions/brookridge-leawood-south-country-clubs-parent-co-capital-foresight-open-membership-to-include-domestic-partners-nationwide-vs-state-to-state

[Cal Carpenter]

1. Without getting into the general futility of online petitions

Wouldn't it make more sense to focus on things like legal unions /marriage, spousal benefits like health care and hospital visitation etc, adoption rights where they don't exist, and overall *human rights* based issues caused by this type of discrimination before we worry about country club memberships?

Wouldn't it be better to focus on the millions of GLBT families who are screwed by systemic discrimination rather than the 1 or 5 or 10 who are trying to get into a fucking country club?

*donning flame-resistant suit*

[RKP5637]

2. Definitely!!!

[Puzzledtraveller]

7. +1

[HappyMe]

9. I agree.

There are a hell of a lot more important issues than a stupid country club.

[dbackjon]

26. Yeah, Equality is Stupid

Why would anyone complain about being treated differently, anywhere?




Are we on a progressive site, or since they are applying for a "country club" can we mock them?

[LonePirate]

12. Agreed! Their priorities are out of whack.

They are the perfect couple to join the ACLU in a lawsuit challenging the state constitution's marriage ban. They live in the wealthiest and most populated county in the state so any media coverage of their court case would only help their crusade against the bigoted country club.

[markiv]

3. I've never understood trying to get into an 'exclusive' club

then complaining about being excluded

do these people ever look up the word 'exclusive'?

MOST people are exluded from exclusive clubs, that's what makes them exclusive!

[trumad]

5. Yeah--- let's exclude women, blacks, etc.

[markiv]

10. i'm not justifying it - 'exclusive' clubs have never had any appeal to me

the word 'exclusive' is enough for me

the rest is splitting hairs

it's about excluding, period - 'I can get into this club, but YOU cant'

and anyone who thinks some excluding is fine, while other is bad, needs a look in the mirror

there's no more virtue in being a multicultural snob, than a wasp snob

[Oilwellian]

18. Excuse me, but...

the only mention of the word "exclusive" came from YOU. This couple applied for a membership to a country club and they were denied based on their sexual orientation.

This may come as a surprise to you but most "clubs" are private and require membership. Swim clubs, golf clubs, gymnastics clubs, karate clubs, tennis clubs, VFW clubs, Moose Lodges, hunting clubs...all require membership before you can join in the festivities that their members participate in. Would you label members of these private clubs as "snobs" as well or is your obvious bigotry "exclusively" for country club members?

[markiv]

19. 'country club' is synonymous with 'exclusive'

always has been

if somone aspires to a 'Johnson County Attitude', they're going to have to fight their own cause

[AngryAmish]

20. Clubs have been having a rough go of it last few years

In Chicagoland there are only three or four clubs who would not take all comers. Many clubs are deferring or doing away with initiation fees.

The golf culture is sick right now. Boomers are retiring and quitting their clubs. Gen Xers spend too much time with their families and actually go to their sons and daughters activities to have an entire day at the club. Same with Millenials. My club has gone from 74k initiation to 60k to 30k paid over five years.

[dbackjon]

27. So because it is "exclusive"

You are fine with them excluding AMERICANS just because of their sexual orientation.



Great, no wonder we don't have equality in this country. With "friends" like you, no wonder equality has never been a high priority of the Democratic Party.

[markiv]

32. Jeez, way to miss the point

i believe that to win a war, you have to choose your battles

Johnson county KS, is a very beautiful place, but a place that can have a real smug attitude, known there as the 'Johnson County Attitude'

I think it defeats a cause to fight to get into something 'exclusive' (yes, that's what country clubs are) and expect help from others who will never get in because of class exclusion

Maybe I could have gotten in when i lived there, if i really wanted to

But I dont believe in country clubs in the first place. I've never wanted to make friends who would drop me at the first smell of misfortune. I've just known too many ups and downs in life to subject myself to that. I'd rather have real friends. If that's what someone else wants, that their right, but their battles are their own, as far as I'm concerned

If they'd chosen a different battle however, at something NOT exclusive, that would be another matter entirely

[dbackjon]

34. Why does it matter if you approve of the place?

They are being discriminated against. It doesn't matter if you or I would want to join the place, but that a couple DOES, and are being discriminated against.

Not sure why that is so hard to understand.

[markiv]

35. 'Why does it matter if you approve of the place?'

because i'm entitled to an opinion on where my effort goes

if someone want to fight to get into something I dont believe, in, then YOUR beliefs do not entitle you to conscript my efforts

i have no obligation to fight for classism, whatsoever, in any form, under any circumstances

and the choice of that battle, makes it an implied support of classism to support it - that choice was their, not mine

[dbackjon]

36. Wow - so since you are assuming they are rich, they are not worth your time

Got it.

Pathetic

[markiv]

38. well to do, fine, snob, that's their problem

done with replies to you, had it with your word twisting

[markiv]

14. I do believe in equality

that's why i judge a lesbian couple with a Johnson county attitude the same as I would a hetrosexual couple

[HangOnKids]

21. Who are you to judge anybody?

You have been all over the map on this issue and you appear lost.

[markiv]

22. no, I know my way around Johnson county pretty well nt

[HangOnKids]

23. Who are YOU to judge anybody?

Bye now, I have no interest in your map reading skills.

[markiv]

30. who are you to judge me?

dont tell me you arent

[Puzzledtraveller]

6. I agree

[MADem]

31. Groucho Marx said something about places like that...

“I don’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members.”

...or words to that effect.

Of course, he was playing that line for laughs--these folks don't think it's very funny.

[markiv]

33. that quote was a wonderful, humerous point of truth

and pretty much what i'm getting at, in my comments in this thread

[workinclasszero]

4. Kansas is owned and operated by the american Taliban/teabag/republicans

It makes Texas look like a bunch of far left libs lol

I would advise you to get the hell out of it, if at all possible so your children aren't traumatized for life.

[RKP5637]

17. I recently got the hell out of Kansas. I've never seen a place go out of its way like Kansas to

persecute and discriminate against people, and the politicians don't play with a full deck. It's a creepy place IMO, even in the best parts of the state.

I guess some people love all of this RW stuff, the persecution and discrimination, and the endless religion. One often sees some of this in places, but in Kansas the politicians go out of their way to make ones life miserable.

[Sunlei]

8. sue the hell out of them.

[Blue_Tires]

11. here's the site

http://www.brookridgegf.com/Home.aspx

It's not like there's anything really "special" about the place; they can golf/swim/workout anywhere in the metro area...

Maybe it's more about proving a point, or just exposing the club's bigotry...

[AngryAmish]

13. I went over to the club's website

Somebody buy the greenskeeper a chainsaw, stat.

[Boom Sound 416]

15. how did they inform you...were they blatant?

or just "we have no spots open now" routine

[RKP5637]

16. I don't know, it's not my petition, I just got it via change.org and passed it along to DU. n/t

[KinMd]

24. Burning Tree Country Club in Bethesda Maryland doesnt allow women on the property..

much less be members.

[cbdo2007]

25. I'd like to see some more information on this....

we're only seeing one side of the story here. How about a rejection letter from the place or some local news involvement??

Sounds fishy to me for as little information as they are providing.

[dbackjon]

29. Why does it sound fishy?

Do you think that gays and lesbians are never discriminated against?

[cbdo2007]

39. Them asking us to sign a petition without giving details IS what sounds fishy.

I work in Overland Park (and live in KC, MO) so I would be happy to get some local traction behind this, but this isn't a story to get worked up about yet. Like the poster below us mentions - we don't know what happened here and it isn't fair to anyone involved to just blindly go around signing petitions against companies without them having a chance to give their side of the story.

[allin99]

37. i googled and found nothing. i'm not even saying fishy but...

how can there be discussion over petition with zero information. For all we know they're really loud an obnoxious. lol. i mean, they don't look it, but it would still be nice to hear what transpired.

[Capt. Obvious]

28. Bushwood Country Club will never let them in

But it was really about the hats they wore.