Golf club, gays negotiate
Mediation set in dispute over spousal perks
By CAMERON McWHIRTER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


A lawyer for Druid Hills Golf Club will sit down today with two gay club members in an attempt to mediate a legal standoff about granting spousal benefits to gay members' partners.

The meeting comes more than three months after Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin ordered the two sides to get together to try to resolve the case.

The two sides have chosen as their mediator Penn Payne, a well-known Atlanta employment attorney with connections to the Democratic Party. The dispute between the club board and the two gay members, Lee Kyser and Randy New, became a public matter on Jan. 12, when the Atlanta Human Relations Commission, a panel responsible for reviewing discrimination complaints, found the club violated Atlanta's anti-discrimination ordinance by not granting club privileges to gay members' partners.

The board for the 1,100-member club argued that it accepts gay members, but extends spousal benefits only to legally married couples. Benefits include allowing spouses to visit the club without the members being present and to bring guests of their own.