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The Batlord · 11-19-2021, 05:02 PM

Just looking up Bohemian Grove on Wikipedia and I saw this. Truly these people run the world.

Quote:

In 1978, the Bohemian Club was charged with discrimination by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing over its refusal to hire female employees. In January 1981, an administrative law judge issued a decision supporting the practices of the Club, noting that club members at the Grove "urinate in the open without even the use of rudimentary toilet facilities" and that the presence of females would alter club members' behavior.[38] However, the judge's decision was overruled by the State Fair Employment and Housing Commission, which on October 17, 1981, ordered the Club to begin recruiting and hiring women as employees.[39]

The Bohemian Club then filed a petition in California Superior Court, which ruled in favor of the Club, finding "the male gender [to be] a bona fide occupational qualification."[40] It was revealed that the trial judge had previously participated in club activities, yet the request that he be disqualified was denied.[41] The Fair Employment and Housing Commission appealed to the California Court of Appeal which reversed the lower court's decision, holding that the Bohemian Club's private status did not shield it from the "same rules which govern all California employers."[42] The Supreme Court of California denied review in 1987, effectively forcing the Club to begin hiring female workers during the summer encampment at the Grove in Monte Rio.[43] This ruling became quoted as a legal precedent and was discussed during the 1995–1996 floor debate surrounding California Senate Bill SB 2110 (Maddy), a proposed bill concerning whether tax-exempt organizations (including fraternal clubs) should be exempt from the Unruh Civil Rights Act.[44]

In 2019, Sonoma County Board of Supervisors member Lynda Hopkins, who was elected to the district encompassing the Grove, wrote an open letter criticizing the role Bohemian Club had in making it difficult for women to get into politics, their lack of investment in the community despite member's personal wealth, and the anachronistic and hegemonic attitudes she felt described the Grove.