Lesbian “Mom” Couple Claim Discrimination

Every other year, the city of Raleigh, N.C. has a community sale of baby clothes and toys. Kid’s Exchange allows people from the area take in there old baby items to sell on consignment, and can buy items being sold by others. Workers of the biannual sale are volunteers, who get the perk of being able to pre-shop the items placed in the sale.

The rules have been that only spouses of volunteers can accompany them to the pre-sale. Organizers of the event have strictly enforced the policy, not allowing volunteers to bring their mothers, sisters or friends to take advantage of the early sale.

Kathy Perry, who is one of the sale’s volunteers, showed up for the preview sale with her lesbian partner, Amanda Lenhart, but was stopped at the door. Lenhart explained to the woman who stopped them from entering that they were domestic partners and that the two children with them were theirs.

The woman still objected, and prevented the couple from entering until they eventually were allowed entrance by another woman who knew them. However, as the couple proceeded to check out, a woman working the cash register told the couple they would not be permitted to shop at the early sale again.

Lenhart, became upset over the comments and the questioning of her relationship with Perry, especially since no one questioned the relationships of the male-female couples shopping together.

Lenhart then posted e-mails on several Triangle mailing lists, with the subject line, “Kids Exchange Discriminates against OUR Families!!” In her emails, Lenhart encouraged other couples to e-mail Kids Exchange organizers, and they did.

In one email, Hudson Fuller of Chapel Hill wrote:

“I am the mom of two boys, and straight, … but I nonetheless take offense that other moms would be treated this way. All of us who are parents are in the same boat. … It would seem to me that we should all be working together, not treating each other poorly.”

After receiving the emails, Amy Winstead, a co-founder of the sale, who stated the policy is not meant to discriminate against gay couples, responded to Lenhart by saying organizers had been thinking about changing the policy “to better serve single parents and military families, as well.”

Winstead stated for the next sale, Kids Exchange will ask volunteers to vote whether they want to shop alone or bring a guest of their choice to the sale.

If the volunteers vote to have people shop alone however, it would appear they are clearly discriminating against gay or lesbian couples.