Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Michigan Eagles chapters agree to admit women

Wayne Circuit judge approves consent decree that puts an end to a three-year court battle.

By David Shepardson / The Detroit News

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FLAT ROCK -- Fraternal Order of Eagles chapters in Michigan have agreed to admit women, settling a three-year-old lawsuit.

A Wayne Circuit judge approved a consent decree Tuesday clearing the way for women to join under a settlement announced by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.

The agreement also settles a gender discrimination charge filed against the organization by the Department of Civil Rights in 2002 after the Flat Rock chapter refused to allow three women to join.

"This agreement is an important step toward full equality for women in Michigan," said civil rights department director Linda V. Parker.

Nationally, however, most Eagles chapters don't admit women -- though they are allowed to join an "auxiliary" that doesn't allow them to vote or attend meetings.

A message was left with the Eagles national president, Orville Crawford.

The Flat Rock chapter is one of 134 local chapters with about 60,000 members in Michigan.

The Flat Rock chapter had independently allowed women to join. It sued its national office with the ACLU to allow it to admit women after the national office threatened to revoke Flat Rock's charter because it admitted women.

Dana Cupp, the president of the Flat Rock Eagles since 1990, said this has been a battle they've been fighting for a long time. "(Women) shouldn't have second-class citizenship," Cupp said.

You can reach David Shepardson at (313) 222-2028 or dshepardson@detnews.com.