Monroe and Aquatics and Fitness Center

Monroe and Aquatics and Fitness Center

Go ahead, click it - it'll open in a new window. I'll wait.

Now, someone tell me why I'm pissed off about it.

See Monroe Aquatics and Fitness Center is having a New Year's special. $100 off the joining fee. This is the only time we could possibly even consider joining because we will never have $175 to join. So I go to their site today and look at their membership list and rate schedules to do the math and see if the monthly fees would be feasible. On the Family Membership plan, during the special - it would cost us $75 to join, and then $75 a month once you add on the extra kids. Not too bad. But wait, it says "married couple" -I better call and check that out...

So I call, and yes, you must be legally married to join as a family. We, then, must use 2 memberships. Scott would have to join as an Individual and then I could do the Parent/Child plan and then add the extra 3 kids. This, because of the special, actually decreases our joining fee from $75 to $50... but it increases our monthly fee to nearly $100 a month - because we aren't freakin married.

Now there are only so many reasons a place would set the "married couple" rule, and being in Bible Belt, NC, I feel safe in assuming it's a case of mandated morals. Don't want huzzies or heathens hanging out at the pool with their "significant others" now do we - might taint the water, or the kids, or something.

So, I am immediately pissed off, which must have shown because I was put on hold for the Supervisor who eventually came back to the phone, made me explain the situation again and offered this advice: "Just come in, fill out the paperwork, and don't mention the fact that you're unmarried."

Hello?

OK, first, I don't feel as though I should have to hide or be ashamed of my family or my marital status, and fuck you very much for trying to make me. Second, what kind of hypocritical bunch of assholes is running this place if they require marriage for moral reasons, then recommend dishonesty? (And if you know Erin at all, you know dishonesty is her main pet-peeve anyway!) Third, if I decide to be dishonest by "not mentioning" that we're not married, and anyone questions it, then I'm forced either to lie outright (not an option, if you know Erin at all, you already knew this) or lose the money I've paid in because we all know that these things are non-refundable (also not an option, if you know Erin's wallet, you'll already know this as well.)

Now all that's already plenty to get my panties in a big flaming bunch, ok? And I don't even wear panties so that's pretty damn pissed off. I've already decided that, even if they let us in for free, there's no way in hell this bunch of fucknuts is getting our business. They can take their hypocritical moralistic judgement, and shove it up their collective ass. I have no intention of doing business with a company that operates this way.

But when I share the situation with someone else, she says to me, "...and just think, this is how gay and lesbian couples always get treated..."

Now I hadn't thought of it that way at all up till then. So I get to thinking about this, and like I said to her, I guess, if it were really important to us, Scott and I could get married (not that we'd do it for a fucking gym membership but you know what I mean...) and meet the requirements and avoid paying more for our membership, but a gay or lesbian couple can't ever meet those requirements, not in NC anyway.

So, basically, a gay/lesbian couple doesn't have the option of joining unless they pay double the joining fees and double the monthly fees. Now, isn't that discrimination?

UGH! I am so beyond pissed off right now, and all this happened HOURS ago!

I hope every god blessed kid in Monroe pisses in the MAFC pool tomorrow! Better yet... if only I had a one day pass and a handful of Butterfinger bars!