Klarinet Archive - Posting 000091.txt from 1998/01

From: JohnnyWalt <JohnnyWalt@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Vienna Phil. and women
Date: Sat, 3 Jan 1998 19:11:32 -0500

In a message dated 98-01-03 16:33:51 EST, you write:

<< Individuals have traditionally been free to associate based upon common
interests or beliefs. Private organizations can thus be developed based
upon almost any commonality (red-headed gay quadraplegics, brown-eyed men
named "Bob," or female orchestral musicians). But the emphasis is on the
word "private." Government funded organizations are not allowed to
discriminate since they are "public," not "private." So if the Bay Area
Gay Men's Chorus gets funding through its own members or from corporations,
it can make its own rules regarding eligibility. But even beyond that,
some distinctions are just plain obvious. Boy Scouts are boys by
definition, and that is that. I would not be welcome in the Girl Scouts
for the same reason. To join the Nazi party, you really need to sympathize
with their politics. To join a Christian church, belief in God is pretty
much mandatory. Forcing your square-peg self into someone's round-hole
organization just because you have a high powered lawyer doesn't do any
good for anyone. Businesses are also held to the higher standard, since
"hiring" is not the same as "joining." That may be the most important
distinction here. "Hiring" must be based ONLY upon qualification to
perform the job, "joining" can include other factors.

I just read the story about the female trombonist in the Munich
Philharmonic. I don't think it would have gone on that long in this
country. She deserved better treatment. Anti-discrimination statutes in
this country, although I think they get carried to extremes in some cases,
were designed for just this sort of case and would have protected her much
better than German law apparently did. It sounds to me like the only thing
she couldn't do (and do better, too) than the men is father children!

>>
WOW! Well said!