Augusta’s New Issue: A Woman Runs I.B.M.

[Felix]

The New York Times
Lynn Zinser
http://onpar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/augustas-new-dilemma-a-woman-runs-i-b-m/?ref=sports

It has been nine years since a rather futile protest brought the issue of Augusta National's lack of female members to the fore, but this year it has risen again — in a much thornier form for the club that hosts the Masters.

[Felix]

This isn't directly a trans issue, but the idea that transitioning from one direction to another could allow or prevent your playing golf struck me as a weird and potentially profound detail.

[tekla]

It does not prevent or allow anyone to play golf, it's a question of club membership, and there are some things, like Augustus and the Daughters of the American Revolution that are gender specific.  Women can play at Augusta if they are with a member, they just can't be the member.  What is happening here is that the president of IBM, being a major sponsor has always been given a membership, which I bet they will continue with, money trumping gender.  To be sure they have been looking for a way out of that historical problem for a while now, and this will be that out.

[Felix]

It does not prevent or allow anyone to play golf, it's a question of club membership

Well yeah but that's splitting hairs. And you're right that it is more an IBM/money issue than a gender issue. I come from Birmingham though, so maybe I'm just hyperattuned to club admissions issues.

[tekla]

It was pretty much standard procedure for any county club to be male membership only before the War, not so much after.  And while most of the clubs changed that policy, well Augusta is in Georgia and they are a bit slower down there, or don't get the memo when the rest of us do - I think the mail is delayed a few decades or something in the South.

[SandraJane]

HaHa! Turnabout is fair play!

And hey...isn't IBM the same company that fired an Electrical Engineer back in the 60's that was transitioning...ummm...LYNN CONWAY?!

[tekla]

I don't understand the mirth, it's not like IBM is out anything either way.

[Felix]

It was pretty much standard procedure for any county club to be male membership only before the War, not so much after.  And while most of the clubs changed that policy, well Augusta is in Georgia and they are a bit slower down there, or don't get the memo when the rest of us do - I think the mail is delayed a few decades or something in the South.

This made me laugh.

[tekla]

Besides baseball season has opened, no one cares about golf except a bunch of old guys who chase white balls around because they can't chase anything else.