School Changes Pool Policy for Lesbian Couple

The recreation center at the University of Memphis must reconsider its policies for family passes thanks to one lesbian couple, according to WREG News in Memphis.

When partners Edie and Tamar Love wanted to take their four children to the U of M swimming pool, officials said the couple needed to provide any legal document to verify their family status for joint passes.

When the women returned with a domestic-partnership agreement from Arkansas, the recreation center changed its story. Suddenly, a marriage license was the only document the women could use. Workers at the U of M recreation center wanted Tamar to buy a separate pass because the couple's four children are from Edie's previous marriage.

The Loves were married in 2008, but their marriage was not in a state where gay marriage is legal.

"We didn't want to make this into a gay/lesbian versus straight people issue," said Tamar. "We really wanted it to be inclusive of all types of families because there are so many."

The Loves spread their story, and the community responded by calling and writing to U of M officials, expressing outrage at the policy.

Soon after the backlash, U of M agreed to change its policy to include diverse types of families. University officials and the Tennessee Board of Regents are in the process of reworking the recreation policy.