Posted on 05/11/2006 8:37:49 PM PDT by SmithL
Berkeley -- A company that was sued by a pair of gay skaters who alleged they were harassed for holding hands has agreed to hold monthly gay-straight skate nights, to sign an anti-discrimination pledge and to contribute $5,000 to two gay groups as part of a legal settlement.
As part of the settlement announced late Wednesday, the skaters, John Manzon-Santos and Alan Lessik, also will get free admission for one year to the weekly "pairs preferred" skating sessions Berkeley Iceland plans to offer. East Bay Iceland, which owns the Berkeley rink and two others, also agreed to post placards advertising its efforts to promote diversity and to require its workers to undergo sensitivity training.
Manzon-Santos and Lessik, amateur skaters who are training to compete in the Gay Games being held this summer in Chicago, alleged in a lawsuit filed last month that Berkeley Iceland's manager twice told them to stop skating together. The manager said he was concerned about safety, but the two men suspected they were targets of gay bias because they saw male-female couples holding hands while skating, Manzon-Santos said Thursday.
"This is partly about perceived homophobia, but it's also about normalizing the interaction between gay and straight people. It's about we all love to skate," Manzon-Santos said, adding that he and Lessik were pleased with the settlement terms.
East Bay Iceland's general manager was unavailable Thursday and an employee in the box office at Berkeley Iceland said the company had no comment on the case. The settlement calls for the company to issue a public apology.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
In Berkeley?
I'd tell them to kiss my a$$. I have a right to speak freely.
Be careful what you wish for. ;-D
How many male ice skaters aren't gay?
I believe 2 or 3 players on The New York Rangers are staright....
awww...geez...
Berkeley -- A company that was sued by a pair of gay skaters who alleged they were harassed for holding hands has agreed to hold monthly gay-straight skate nights, to sign an anti-discrimination pledge and to contribute $5,000 to two gay groups as part of a legal settlement.
Sounds like Jesse Jackson tactics are still an effective tool of the left at least in the village known as Berkeley...
This odd village incident within the odd village seems as if it could have been staged for publicity and propaganda value? An "easy" first domino of public precedent?
So they don't want "normal people" to come to their rinks............so be it. Will be interesting to see how long they stay in business, catering only to a small minority.
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