FSGL member Les Gais Musette, a same-sex dance club, is in the news in France after making public an event that happens all too often. Like many clubs, they regularly organize weekends and other outings to practice their sport and enjoy spending time together in the country to practice their sport and improve gruop cohesion. These outings are an important activity for many clubs, satisfying the social goals of clubs, an important complement to their athletic objectives.
An association that rents out its facilities in the Ardèche in southern France refused the Gais Musette's reservation for a week-long residential course after deciding that the group's homosexual orientation was incompatible with their own values, and the presence of their children at the site: "Nous avons accepté vos demandes concernant l'alcool et la viande, mais l'homosexualité ne correspond pas aux énergies et à l'éthique que nous développons, sur notre lieu, pour nous-même, notre entourage, et nos enfants. Par conséquent, nous vous invitons à chercher un autre lieu" (while we accepted your requests concerning alcoholic beverages and meat, homosexuality does not correspond to the energies and ethics we develop in our establishment for ourselves, our entourage, and our children. Consequently we invite you to seek other facilities).
The Gais Musette plans to file a complaint with the French anti-discrimination authority. But the problem is one faced by many clubs in France and elsewhere. In many case, the only way clubs are able to reserve facilities is to hide the LGBT orientation of their membership, which is unacceptable.
You can read (in French) one of the many articles on this story HERE.
Visit the Gais Musette website, and maybe even register for their August outing (they found another venue), HERE.
See also this news piece in Le Monde (in French): http://veilleur.blog.lemonde.fr/2010/04/25/homos-interdits-de-stages-par-une-association-ardechoise/.
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