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Dec 19th, 2016
Muirfield male members banned from park bench
This is awesome
Words: Tim Southwell Photography: Getty Images
Muirfield members have been banned from sitting on a park bench in Edinburgh.
Muirfield Golf Club has been in and out of the news for their controversial insitence of banning women members. This resulted in the vote this summer when members decided against allowing women to become members, returning a vote of 64 per cent for and 36 per cent against - just short of a two-thirds majority needed to change its constitution.
And the resulting worldwide condemnation from the vote led to the club – one of Scotland’s last male-only golf clubs – being stripped of its Open hosting status.
But now, a bold plaque has appeared on a bench in Edinburgh’s West Princes Street Gardens which “excludes” members of Muirfield from sitting on it. The mystery plaque, which was spotted over the weekend and tweeted by Heart Scotland News, says: “The members of Muirfield Golf Club are hereby excluded from sitting on this bench. By the order of the female population.”
Muirfield Golf Club in Gullane was at the centre of a huge controversy in the summer when members held a vote on female membership.
They decided against allowing women to become members, returning a vote of 64 per cent for and 36 per cent against - just short of a two-thirds majority needed to change its constitution. And the resulting worldwide condemnation from the vote led to the club - which is one of Scotland’s last male-only golf clubs - being stripped of its chance to host the Open.
But now, a bold plaque has appeared on a bench in Edinburgh’s West Princes Street Gardens which “excludes” members of Muirfield from sitting on it. The mystery plaque, which was spotted over the weekend and tweeted by Heart Scotland News, says: “The members of Muirfield Golf Club are hereby excluded from sitting on this bench. By the order of the female population.”
A post featuring a picture of the plaque on Facebook has gone viral, after being shared nearly 2,000 times and liked by 8,000 people. Comments range from people wholeheartedly agreeing with the sentiments of the plaque, to others branding it sexist.
Jason Davis commented: “Why can’t men have a men only club? Why do women feel the need to protest and force their way in? There are many many women only clubs (including golf clubs) and these don’t make headlines.
“Sometimes men want a space away from women, as women do away from men. Doesn’t mean its sexist or a bad thing!” Gil Thomson wrote: “A not unreasonable request as the ‘ female population of Edinburgh’ have obviously paid for the bench.
“However as the ‘gentleman members of Muirfield Golf Club’ started the club and have been responsible for its upkeep throughout the years is it unreasonable for them to decide who should play on their course?”
Good work, ladies.
Good work, ladies.
