....which means they can't exclude atheists, either. A similar
court result in Washington in 2002 had the same implications:
http://www.michigan.gov/mdcr/0,1607,7-138-4952-122151--,00.html
Today the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) is announcing an
agreement between MDCR and the Fraternal Order of Eagles (FOE) to end
excluding women in Michigan from full and equal membership into the
order because of their gender. The settlement agreement resolves a
gender discrimination charge filed by MDCR in 2002, on the grounds that
the club refused to grant full membership to three women.
....
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1984 that the Jaycees is not a private
club and is subject to public accommodations and state civil rights
laws. A similar ruling by the nation's high court against the Rotary
Club followed in 1987. Other such rulings have been handed down by
courts at the trial and appellate court levels around the country,
including the Michigan Court of Appeals which held seven years ago that
Elks Clubs are not private clubs, but are instead public accommodations
which are subject to Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.
Under the Elliott Larsen Act, public accommodations must make their
services and programs available on an equal basis and must grant all
applicants the full and equal enjoyment of the public accommodation.
....
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission was created by the Michigan
Constitution of 1963 to carry out the guarantees against discrimination
articulated in Article I, Section 2. As further stated in Article V,
Section 29, the state constitution directs the Commission to investigate
alleged discrimination against any person because of religion, race,
color or national origin and to "secure the equal protection
of such civil rights without such discrimination."
Public Acts 453 and 220 of 1976 and subsequent amendments have added
sex, age, marital status, height, weight, arrest record, and physical
and mental disabilities to the original four protected categories.
-------
Also see:
http://www.aclumich.org/pdf/briefs/eaglesconsentjudgment.pdf
http://www.foe.com/membership/applications/aerie.html
The only problem is finding an atheist who actually wants
to join...
"The principal animals inhabiting the African jungle are Moose,
Elks, and Knights of Pythias."
---
Merlyn LeRoy
.
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