Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin fined the Druid Hills Golf Club $90,000 today (login) for violating the city’s “human rights ordinance” since it won’t extend spousal benefits to gay members. Joseph has already covered why burning these arguments on a private golf club is a bad idea.
First of all, let me say that anyone who is a member of a country club—particularly Druid Hills—is an asshole. The reason people join these places is so they can exclude others (it costs $40,000 to join this club, and $475 a month in dues—at the very least they’re excluding anyone who’s not rich), so I am not sure why people are surprised when this place doesn’t treat gay people as equal members. That’s the game and if you don’t like it, don’t fucking play! The people who filed this lawsuit in the first place are privileged gay assholes who are annoyed because the straight assholes aren’t being nice to them. I say fuck them all.
And Sid has already covered why Democrats are generally pursuing a bonehead strategy when it comes to all things gay, referring in this particular case to the ACLU vocally challenging the Republicans’ bigoted state constitution amendment 1.
Let’s out think and in effect preempt the bastards, and deprive them of another sure victory.
Rushing to court and having amendment #1 declared unconstitutional (because of the multi-topic issue that does make it unconstitutional under Georgia law in my opinion), could help, as noted in the title to my 10-28-04 post, Sonny Boy to lose the battle (in court) and win the war (a second term as Governor).
Why on earth give the GOP more ammunition when they’ll likely be able to recycle the marriage amendment for 2006? Especially on behalf of “privileged gay assholes who are annoyed because the straight assholes aren’t being nice to them”? Christ. This isn’t a fight that can be won right now, but can be later if more Dems are elected to office. More strategy, less principles please.
Rusty, Rusty, he’s our man,
If he can do it (and say it as it should be said), nobody can.
Me and Rusty can take ‘em to the trough, but we can’t make ‘em drink, eh Rusty. We told her at http://crackersquire.blogspot.com/2004/11/take-your-own-sweet-time-mayor.html tp “Take your own sweet time Mayor Franklin. Respond: You give a little, and maybe I’ll give a little” has reference to the following article in the 11-26-04 ajc. (And as stated several times in my posts, in politics, to get along, sometimes you have to go along, and we sure need those filing the lawsuit to go along on this one.)
And hey, listen up. That pitcher may not be too far off. When the legislature gets into session, I am supposed to get an invite. And if I am invited, my friends are invited. Happy New Year.
I know it appears that I just am enjoying seeing my new whatever it is that I learned about on Rusty’s blog, but trust me, it is that and more.
Rusty: I went and read the ajc article about the Mayor. I am in her corner big time, but this is dumb. It means nothing more than attorney fees for several years, with no winners other than the attorneys.
You and I report, they decide (and hey, it’s not my money, nor will it be the Other Georgia’s). But if I lived in Atlanta . . .
Sid, your posts and comments always make me smile. And you are right, there needs to be a little more going-along right now, or else there are going to be bigger messes to fix later. And I’m looking forward to that pitcher at the Tavern.
Franklin’s in a tough position–if she didn’t do anything, she risked being labeled a turncoat by Southern Voice (Atlanta’s gay newspaper) and Georgia Equality (the statewide gay advocacy group). Each of these institutions holds sway over a significant portion of debate over issues within Atlanta’s (and Georgia’s) gay community–a sizeable portion of whom are Shirley Franklin’s constituents. Both have been busting her balls over this issue for nearly a year, and she was bound to cave sooner or later. I wrote Southern Voice a letter to the editor attempting to put the rhetoric against the country club back in perspective, but it was basically spitting in the wind. GE’s new leader is a Republican, so maybe this is part of some larger strategy for GOP dominance on his part.
Preaching to the choir: this is the wrong issue to be getting wrapped up in. Not only will it give the Republicans more ammunition in 2006, but this is a private club which should have a right to discriminate against anyone they want.
Most gay people don’t care much about this issue. If asked, they’d say that the club shouldn’t discriminate, but this is not an issue that has resonance for those of us with incomes of less than $100K. Maybe a first step when talking about this lawsuit is to remind everyone that it is being pushed for by Chuck Bowen, the Republican leader of Georgia Equality–Georgia’s largest gay and lesbian advocacy group.
See … this is where Democrats get our bad reputations for intruding in areas where we don’t belong.
If a wheelchair-bound citizen is unable to access a public municipal facility because of a missing rampway, then it is the responsibility of civil government to correct the situation. This action is mandated by ethics and founded in law. However, if that same person is similarly unable to enter a privately-owned establishment — one that is occupied and maintained by members of a self-originated club — then the only course of action is to appeal to the kindness and understanding of those individuals that are responsible. If they continue to deny, then we must take our interests elsewhere.
So should be our approach to private clubs and organizations that discriminate on any basis, be it race or orientation or otherwise. If they are private and they cannot be persuaded through appeal, then we turn away from them in kind. After all, country clubs depend on the dues of members to sustain. No members? No money. No money? No nice greens and lawns. To totally mis-state a (Groucho) Marxism: I really don’t want to belong to any club that wouldn’t want me as a member.
Joseph is definitely correct that the Mayor has been a real bind on this one. She has tried arbitration, political pressure, etc. And as alluded to in the other comments, we can understand why the Club says, hey, we draw the line here. It is not a gay issue, as Thomas said — legally anyway — but whether the City is overstepping its jurisdiction with a private club. Sure the City ordinance says this, but this does not make it enforceable. Page two
In law we say bad facts make bad law. This is not the case the gay community wanted to go before a Superior Court judge and on up the appellate ladder.
Plus, as noted in the ajc article, the GOP will keep focus on the issue with legislation this coming session. And what the GOP wants the GOP will get.
I hate it for the Mayor. She put off as long as she could, and as Joseph hinted (I think and not to put words in his mouth), this is where the gay leadership needs to step up to the plate and say, fellows, this is not the case we need to go forward on. Ditto on the present court challenge that will keep the issue of same-sex marriage alive and well in 2006, with Perdue laughing all the way to the polls.
Now if Home Depot did not follow (and it is doing as it said it would prior to Nov. 2 with regard to continuing benefits of partners), then if the law is weak, you go for the jugular, and Home Depot risks public pressure similar to Target on Salvation Army. But here sympathy will be with the Club, regardless of one’s feeling on partner benefits.
WRT the issue about private clubs, I have to agree. Personally, I feel private clubs that discriminate are archaic and useless. And I believe that they’ll eventually collapse under the weight of time — via the deaths of its exclusionist members if nothing else.
Y’all are right about the gay community not being very politically savvy here in town. They need to sit down, figure out what they really want, and then devise a strategy for making it happen. They’re spending too much energy fighting battles that will gain them nothing.