No Discrimination at Public Facilities

Submitted by Brian (United States), Apr 25, 2008 at 19:03

It's sad to see that there are so many public officials out there who are completely clueless.

Taxpayer funded facilities, and non-profit organizations that receive taxpayer funding (as in the Seattle example), must not be used to promote discrimination or segregation based on religious beliefs.

If Muslim swimmers cannot tolerate using a public pool in Europe or America with non-Muslims during normal operating hours, then they should stay home!

In the community where I live in California, we have a public pool that has specific times where anyone can rent the pool facilities for private parties (including Muslims).

If I showed up at my local public pool with my daughter, during normal public operating hours, and was told she could not swim because she might offend male Muslim patrons, I would be completely outraged. I would also not take it lying down. My reaction would be to demand the person(s) who decided it was okay to turn my daughter away be immediately fired. I would also find an attorney and sue the agency that owned the pool.

This subject made me think of a story I heard some years ago about the late American comedian Groucho Marx. Sometime during the late 1920's or early 1930"s, Mr. Marx and his family were staying at a hotel when he was politely informed by the manager that Jews were not welcomed to use the swimming pool there. Upon hearing the news, and without missing a beat, Marx replied, "What about my son Arthur? He's a half-Jew, can he go in up to his waist?"

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