Klarinet Archive - Posting 000078.txt from 1998/01

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Vienna Phil. and women
Date: Sat, 3 Jan 1998 14:48:11 -0500

On Sat, 3 Jan 1998, Craig E. G. Countryman wrote:

> As far as the comments about the groups with men's and women's only in
> the titles I don't see where an argument can be made toward
> discrimination in that case.

Is this a widely-held view? I'm genuinely interested. Surely
the fracas regarding the admission of girls into Boyscouts of
America was a valid and relevant issue? Does anybody on the
list have the facts regarding the laws on discrimination when
it comes to organizations which specify gender or color or
race qualifications? Would I be denied an audition to the
Bay Area Women's Philharmonic? A job is a job, and if there's
an opening and I'm good enough, I'd like a chance to perform
with an orchestra as much as anybody else. It seems the basis
of this argument -- parity of employment opportunity based on
equal standards of qualification (and equal pay) -- has been
(and continues to be) a central issue in political and legal
circles for many decades. Does an organization need merely
to state overtly that it discrimates in order to avoid being
prosecuted?

Genuinely interested (and yes, I'm playing a little dumb, be-
cause I know there are older, more experienced people on the
list, with better memories of American history, who can speak
with greater authority to this issue than I can, and I'm
interested to see what the facts are),

Neil