Kiwanians, Facing ‘Costly Litigation,’ Will Admit Women
Delegates to the Kiwanis International convention voted overwhelmingly today to allow women to join the community service organization, a proposal that repeatedly had been rejected by the 72-year-old club.
Kiwanis leaders told their members that they must admit women or face “constant, costly litigation.”
The amendment, approved when a majority of the delegates stood in approval on the convention floor, changes the national membership rules to let chapters abide by their respective state laws and in accordance with recent Supreme Court decisions barring sexual discrimination in private service clubs.
A two-thirds majority was needed to amend the charter, which sets policy affecting 315,000 members in 8,200 clubs in 70 countries.
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