Who is Family?

"Inside the sprawling Rochester Athletic Club on the fringe of the city is a unique community gathering place called "The Neighborhood."
It features an ersatz town square with a miniature golf course, an artificial ice rink, a gym and a "cafe in the park." Building facades are painted on the walls to make the giant room look like an idyllic small town village. The slogan is: "Where families grow together."

But there's trouble in the neighborhood, and it's over what constitutes a "family," and who gets to decide.

A district judge in Olmsted County is now considering whether a precedent-setting discrimination lawsuit against the club and owner John Remick will proceed or be dismissed.

If allowed to continue, the suit will determine whether the club must give a lesbian couple and their 11-year-old child a family membership.

The family membership would save them about $500 per year."

By Jon Tevlin, Star Tribune Link to Article (last visited 8-28-07 NVS)