wdbj7.comPosted Jun 28, 2012, 1:05 AM UTC
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Ugh, yes. It's like they don't even realise that there's a whole world out there full of people with different lives, experiences, opinions, and faiths. EVERYONE ELSE IS WRONG. I can't understand how people can be so willfully ignorant.
Wow I had to stop reading after the 2nd comment. I often wonder what it would have been like if the internet was around back in the 1950's. It is one thing to hold a sign or shout something. We have pictures from the 50's showing all the dumb people with hate but we do not have ever persons rant archived for future generations to read.
Pootypackers? That has to be the most ridiculous slur I've ever heard.
It's kind of cute, in a way. Almost endearing.
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It appears WDBJ-7 has deleted the comment section on that story. Anyone have screencaps?
Yes, I noticed that as well. Which I think was a positive thing to do on their part.
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This is exactly why same-sex marriage needs to be legal nationwide. What a ridiculous situation - it's a fucking health club! This shouldn't even be an issue. sigh
24 Hour Fitness doesn't recognize same-sex marriages unless you're in a state where it's legal. Back in the day, they didn't ask for any proof (at least in WeHo), but now (in NoHo) they won't recognize even a civil union. They're pretty huge and I think they should be taken down.
That's gross.
Yeah, I was pretty upset when I heard that. Good news is that I mentioned it to a student and her parents (a straight couple) complained to the gym! I was shocked. Totally warmed my heart.
That's awesome they did that!
Absolutely! Now if everyone did that...
Not to be a dick, but this couple only has ONE child... a two-year old. Not two children. But I'm still pissed about it.
My mistake. My brain was fried because I was so pissed when I wrote the title.
Understandably so!!
How is a proper correction being a dick?
isn't this 2012???
Yup. 12 years into the future and we're still running around crying about who does what with who depending on which sexual organs they were born with.
Let's take this National.
There are people here who aren't American, you know. National to me isn't national to you. Just sayin'.
Very good point. I just want to bring pressure against this company and give them the kind of PR that they don't really want. Hit Carilion Clinic's FB page....hard.
I think in the grand scheme of things the person who reported on something AMERICAN to say NATIONAL to a news story from AMERICA is not that bad.
If it was vague to what country it was then yes...it would be very bad.
Disagree, but I'm open to the possibility that I'm more sensitive than I otherwise would be if it weren't a common occurrence (which I wouldn't apologise for, by the way).
This is a subreddit that celebrates diversity, so unless it's intended for Americans specifically I think it's appropriate to point out when 'Americentrism' occurs so it doesn't become prevalent, if it isn't already.
Yes, it supports diversity but we also have things that take place in different countries. Supporting a nation wide campaign to something that takes place inside a certain country is not wrong when the actual event takes place in said country. Americentrism is a problem but I'm sorry...sometimes it's GOING to be the right thing to discuss in the confines of a conversation.
There is a thing called too much PC!
Sad, that is ConnieSewer's home town. The RAC is full of snobs. I doubt this will fly, even in Roanoke.
Maybe if we all carve "Croatoan" into the trees, the settlement will disappear again?
Wrong Roanoke.
Damn my poor-quality American education!! ;)
lol
I Dare you....
Hi, ConnieSewer, the noke is my home too. Pleased to meet you, albeit under not so great circumstances.
Nice to meet you ShellBell. I don't live there anymore. Roanoke use to be a pretty progressive town. I hope all is not lost.
I grew up here, moved away, and came back twenty-four years later. I was amazed at how much more tolerant it had become. There are still plenty of bigots, but there is much more acceptance, tolerance and dialogue than I ever imagined possible. Some don't hold this opinion, but I think I've got some perspective given my time away.
I moved out of Roanoke two years ago. It's riding the Tea Party train as far as it can away from anything "progressive". There are still some strong pockets of blue around Grandin and Downtown but the rest of the area is red and getting redder. At least it was two years ago.
That's sad. Maybe I'm just seeing more blue, since I moved back from Columbia, SC which in addition to being the armpit of the South, is extremely red.
It's crap yes but the law would sadly be on the side of the gym because virginias stupid state constitution says marriage is between a man and woman only. However it doesn't classify families as a mom and dad so maybe they could win against them, I hope so at least that they get justice
That's how they define a marriage. This is about the definition of "Family."
I work at a community center and we denote our families as "two adults and up to eight dependents in the household." We don't care if they are brothers, sisters, lovers, or whatever. It makes me sad that there are still places out there that discriminate against heteronormative families.
Edit: I will also like to add that we accept kids over 18 and going to college as dependents if they are living at home. This is another social matter entirely though.
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The South.
There was a recent case similar to this near me in Ohio, in a fairly progressive community as well. In that case however, the couple didn't have their membership revoked, but rather they were seeking the family rate. If I recall correctly, it was decided by the Cuyahoga Falls City Council that the community gym was not obligated to give them the family rate.
It made me sad, because it doesn't reflect well on the Cleveland/Akron area. We're better than that shit here.
Still, it doesn't seem to be as regional a problem as we might hope.
Not all of the South! Don't judge us by our dickheads, for the North has the Jersey Shore.
Fair enough.
Yeah, the comment section is full of trolls. I noticed that a lot of comment sections in other news sites have switched over to using Facebook, rather than stand-alone comment sections, or comment services like Discus.
I was a little ambivalent about that at first? But then I noticed that the pure trolls fled like roaches. It didn't stop the genuine haters, oh no. Those creatures are still in there, in force.
But as I pointed out elsewhere, I now love using FB for comments on these stories, because it makes it soooo much easier to filter horrible people out of our lives.
Nice try, Mark Zuckerberg.
The blog I write for did the same thing, and it cleaned things up amazingly well.
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I grew up in Roanoke. (I moved to Richmond recently.) The whole town isn't very hostile to gay people... but it does almost nothing to prevent homophobia and almost nothing to punish or even stop it when it happens. It's a beautiful city... I just couldn't live there anymore with the suppressive political climate.
I recommend they move to Blacksburg. It is a fantastic oasis of diversity and culture in southwestern Virginia.
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Well, it IS a breach of contract, as they were signed up knowing they were partners; then revoked. Also, Carilion's definition of family is moot, since they sign up unmarried hetero couples as family. I surely hope the ACLU takes this on.
I also know of another family, that when they signed up 6 years ago, she was told to list her Partner's name as her first initial, rather than her obviously female name. I think I see a pattern here.
It would depend on the actual contents of the written contract but I suspect it'll boil down to the same as the Boy Scouts issue - the government cannot (and should not) have any authority to force private organizations to accept members they don't want to.
If they want to discriminate against people with red hair they're free to do so and people with red hair would be best served taking their business elsewhere.
Which would be fine if the health club wasn't owned by the largest healthcare corporation in the region, whose mission statement includes service to the community, and is also in partnership with the Virginia Tech School of Medicine. VT, being a state university. Funded with tax payer dollars.
Being in partnership with and being owned by are two different things. It's possible for Virginia Tech to put pressure on them by refusing to partner with companies that discriminate in this way, but there's nothing unlawful about this practice in the state of Virginia.
It could be argued that a health club is legally a "public accommodation" in which case it may be illegal to discriminate based on sex, that is, if they allowed unmarried hetero couples to have family membership.
That is what the family's case will turn around if it's true (the club signing on unmarried hetero couples w/ family memberships).
And there's nothing illegal about protesting, boycotting, or generally working to change minds. It's silly to assume legality should dictate our responses in cases like this.
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Exactly!
Well, unless you're protesting when there's Secret Service around...then that's against the law....
It is if it's based on sexuality, race, sex, or religion.
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I've worked at the Y in my area for the past 7 years (3+ years working membership), and until 2-3 years ago, our "family" membership was defined as "husband and wife and their dependent children." The new membership type is now a "household membership" which is defined as "any 2 adults in the same household (only address verification needed) and their dependent children." This opened up the membership type to any combinations you can think of: roommates/friends, straight couples married or unmarried, gay couples married or unmarried (well, Civil Unions for Illinois), parent and adult child, siblings, etc. Basically, 2 adults of any relationship type of any gender that live together can be a household. Any children (or any other type of dependent) under either can be added, too. This was one of the coolest things I've seen my Y do. I'm unsure if this is just our association that did it or if it's a Y of the USA change, but regardless... awesome footsteps in the right direction. :)
It's a shame that things like this are still an issue, though. I will never understand how people can feel that discrimination is ok.
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At the outdoor pool at Second Beach in Stanley Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, for as long as I can remember (20 years), the family pass has included any two adults and the (reasonable amount) of children accompanying them.