Bisexual men sue gay group, claim bias

[paulsby]

it's like the boyscout lawsuits in a funhouse mirror...
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011657770_lawsuit21m.html

my favorite quote "this is the Gay World Series, not the Bisexual World Series"
...

Three bisexual men are suing a national gay-athletic organization, saying they were discriminated against during the Gay Softball World Series held in the Seattle area two years ago. The three Bay Area men say the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance in essence deemed them not gay enough to participate in the series. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle accuses the alliance of violating Washington state laws barring discrimination. The alliance organizes the annual Gay Softball World Series.

Beth Allen, the alliance's attorney, said the lawsuit is unwarranted and that the three plaintiffs "were not discriminated against in any unlawful manner." In any case, Allen said, the alliance is a private organization and, as such, can determine its membership based on its goals. Whether the alliance is public or private will likely have to be determined in court, since the plaintiffs characterize the alliance as a "public accommodation" that's open to the public and uses public softball fields. Th e three plaintiffs — Steven Apilado, LaRon Charles and Jon Russ — played on a team called D2 that qualified for the 2008 Gay Softball World Series, which is organized by the alliance.

The alliance's rules say that each World Series team can have no more than two heterosexual players. According to the lawsuit, a competing team accused D2 of violating that rule. Each of the three plaintiffs was called into a conference room in front of more than 25 people, and was asked "personal and intrusive questions" about his sexual attractions and desires, purportedly to determine if the player was heterosexual or gay, the lawsuit alleges. The alliance has no category or definition for bisexual or transgender people in its rules, the plaintiff's attorney said.

At one point during the proceedings, the lawsuit alleges, one of the plaintiffs was told: "This is the Gay World Series, not the Bisexual World Series."

[Unvanguard]

1. Good for them, I hope they win big. n/t

[beyurslf]

2. The Boy Scoutrs are private. I would say this group likely is too.

They should be able to choose their members.

[Q3JR4]

3. I think you're right, but that doesn't mean

I have to like it.

:thumbsdown: :thumbsdown:

Q3JR4

[sui generis]

4. wow - scratch the NAGAAA off my list

HOWEVER, the sticky parts are we can't even prove we're "gay", much less "bisexual", in any way other than a mechanical act, which signifies NOTHING, or by admitting it or accusing someone of it.

What that means is we're rejecting people for an idea about how they view themselves sexually? I guess that organization has a ways to go before it should even be allowed to claim it's "gay". Anyway, how funny would it be to have a Heterosexual World Series and exclude gays and bisexuals for not being straight enough.

The whole thing is phenomenally stupid.