One of the oldest gentlemen’s clubs in the world is poised to vote on whether women should be admitted.
Many members of the Londo’s all-male Garrick Club say they’ll quit if women remain barred following a referendum that takes place on Tuesday, the Guardian reports. Other high-profile members – including a former Supreme Court judge – have argued that there’s nothing in the rules actually preventing women from being members.
They claim that all the masculine references in its constitution, such as “he,” should always have been interpreted as also referring to “she,” as is the case with the UK’s property law in the United Kingdom.
However, some members have threatened to resign if women are admitted. They argue that it is neither illegal nor immoral to exclude women from its inner sanctum.
In a joint letter, they wrote that while men and women were equal “on every level of intellect and achievement,” it was “the most natural thing in the world that both should, from time to time, seek out the special kind of companionship to be enjoyed in places reserved for and, most importantly, run by themselves.”
Founded in 1831, the Garrick Club’s current membership includes King Charles, a number of members of parliament including the UK’s deputy prime minister, members of the House of Lords, leading businessmen, academics, prominent actors, rock stars and top professionals.
In a recent letter to members, the club’s chair, Christopher Kirker, said he hoped the club would find a “route through the morass that brings us together so that we can return to what makes the Garrick so special: good fellowship, friendship and fun”.
Tuesday’s vote on whether women will be welcomed as members will require a simple majority to pass.
