SACRAMENTO – Representing millions of Americans, several leading civil rights organizations have joined Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) in opposing a recently announced policy by the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) to require its athletes to speak English starting in 2009. 

 

Among the groups condemning the LPGA is the California National Organization for Women (NOW), the largest state organization of feminists in the United States, as well as two of the oldest and most respected Asian American civil rights organizations – Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA). 

In addition, Equality California – the state’s leading Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) civil rights and advocacy organization – is opposing the new policy, as are the Latino Issues Forum, Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), Asian American Coalition for Civil Rights, Applied Research Center, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Legal Aid Society – Employment Law Center, and Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality.

 

“Denying access based on language capability or country of origin is unfair, unreasonable, and discriminatory,” said Yee.  “Omitting qualified players from LPGA membership is inappropriate and unsuitable for the world we live in and poorly reflects on the increasingly diverse population of California and the United States.”

 

“The LPGA has taken tolerance and diversity back several giant steps after there have been some great strides of progress toward opening the game of golf to all people,” said Floyd Mori, JACL National Executive Director. 

 

“We play sports to unify groups, not to divide,” said Ginny Gong, OCA National President.  “This would suggest that someone like Lance Armstrong needs to be proficient in French in order to participate in the Tour de France.”

 

“It is outrageous that the LPGA would consider a decision that prohibits certain players from the chance to compete knowing all the struggles women have gone through in order to be recognized as equals in the sport,” said Michael Lin, OCA National Executive Director.

 

“This policy is tantamount to national origin discrimination, which is prohibited under the Civil Rights Act,” said Vincent Eng, AAJC Deputy Director. “The policy is an affront to our American principles of diversity and equality. It is even more unconscionable that the LPGA is devolving to past divisive and exclusionary practices of their sport following the successful closing of the unifying Olympic Games.”

 

The LPGA claims that it is important for players to be able to interact with American media and event sponsors, despite there being no relevance to the sport.  In fact, no other professional sports league in the United States requires such a mandate.  One major sponsor, State Farm, has already announced they may no longer support the LPGA if they do not rescind the policy.

 

There are 121 international golfers on the LPGA Tour, coming from 26 different countries.  This year, the Tour also held events in nine other countries.

 

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Adam J. Keigwin

Communications Director

Office of Senator Leland Y. Yee, Ph.D.,

Assistant President pro Tem

California State Senate, District 8

(916) 651-4008 | www.senate.ca.gov/yee