Aug 9, 2007 12:11 PM
Des Moines Y Broadens Family Membership Definition
DES MOINES -- The Greater Des Moines YMCA will sign a conciliatory agreement with Sandi and M Patton-Imani to broaden the Y’s definition of family from a heterosexual couple to include cohabiting adults, according to the Des Moines Register.
M and Sandra Patton-Imani, who were joined in a civil union in Vermont in 2000, filed a complaint with the city’s human rights commission when their YMCA family membership was revoked nearly five years ago after an employee found that the same-sex couple did not meet the traditional “family” definition, the newspaper reported.
YMCA officials told the paper that they created a “member plus” program that costs the same as a family membership and allows a member to add another person to their membership plan. The city of Des Moines, however, forced the Y to change its policy or lose a $102,000 federal grant for its housing program. In February, the Des Moines’ human rights commission determined there was “probable cause” to believe the policy violated a city ordinance that prohibits discrimination in public accommodations based on sexual orientation, race, religion or disability.
Vernon Delpesce, president and chief executive officer of the YMCA, recently told the Des Moines Register that the nonprofit was trying to satisfy the human rights commission, but he would not discuss details of any agreement that had been reached because the issue was supposed to be confidential.
