Greetings,

I will try to keep this short and not so sweet. I live in St. Charles, Missouri. We have a Fife and Drum Corps group. I am trying to form a drill team regiment to march with the group composed of all girls. The "grand pooh-bahhs" are sticklers for historical accuracy, i.e., "women were not allowed in the army during 1804-1810." This is a re-enactment group with a chauvinistic attitude. Does the civil liberties act of 1964 protect against sexual discrimination in this area? They are a private organization. Does the law protect women rights in this respect? If the only reason to prevent this group from starting because of following "historical accuracy," would it be cause for sex discrimination? I know my questions are unusual but just how far does the law protect women? Any response would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Sharman Rodery, Rockette Director
1st Regiment of the Continental Rockettes (maybe)

There are several state laws that go above and beyond federal laws and this is probably what would help you the most. I don't know anything about Missouri law and so I don't know where to begin to direct you --- except to contact your state's office of civil rights. They are there to answer questions such as these. For instance, some states do put restrictions on private clubs as well as public ones -- but this isn't something mandated by the federal government. By the way, I think that what you are doing is great and would love to know the result. My mother lives in the historic town of Marblehead, Massachusetts and they have reenactments all the time. I'm now going to pay closer attention to who participates in these ceremonies. That said, I can say that they aren't entirely accurate in other ways beyond gender. For instance, the age of the those participating is much older than those who participated in the original -- people simply didn't live that long -- and the weight and height of people has changed so much. Ask them if they would not allow someone who wasn't white or would allow someone who was Jewish. Sometimes reversing these things helps to point out that discrimination is just as wrong and inappropriate whether it's based on race or gender.

Good Luck,

Amy