[Greyson]

Museum Wanted to Fire Guard Who Objected To Local Lesbian Hand-Holding

By Andy Wright

The CJM.org News broke Tuesday that a lesbian couple who attended the exhibit Seeing Gertrude Stein Sunday at the Contemporary Jewish Museum had been approached by a guard who reprimanded them for holding hands and told them they should leave.

The incident, first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, was confirmed by Daryl Carr, Director of Marketing and Communications of the museum.

“We think that the news media is grabbing onto this story because of the irony,” Carr said, acknowledging the absurdity of telling a lesbian couple they shouldn’t hold hands at an exhibit celebrating the life of a famously out lesbian. “But we are appalled and are taking the incident very seriously.”

The couple were out-of-town friends of the artist, Terry Berlier who has a piece in the Stein show. After the guard reprimanded them, an indignant crowd gathered to defend them.

“It caused quite an uproar,” Carr said, who was out of town at the time of the incident.

The museum does not employ its own guards, instead outsourcing work to a company called Guardsmark. Carr said the guard who reprimanded the couple was filling in due to a shortage and was not regularly assigned to the museum. Shortly after the incident, the guard was asked to leave the museum, according to Carr. The museum wrote a letter to Guardsmark, expressing their unhappiness over the incident.

“We asked for him to be fired, actually,” Carr said, but said that the company had instead reprimanded the guard and promised to provide sensitivity training to guards currently assigned to the museum and any guards assigned in the future. The guard who objected to the hand-holding will never work at the museum again.

Below is a response regarding the incident penned by the museum's director, Connie Wolf, to those affected and the museum's board and staff.

As Director and CEO of The Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM), I am writing you about an event that occurred at the Museum on Sunday, July 17, 2011.The purpose in sharing this information with those visitors affected, as well as members of our Board’s executive committee and the Museum’s senior staff, is to inform you of the CJM’s position on this matter, and the steps taken to ensure that something of this nature will not reoccur.

While viewing the exhibition “Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories” in the Koshland Gallery, two women who were holding hands were informed by a contract security guard, acting in his individual capacity, that such behavior was not allowed at the Museum and asked the couple to leave. The couple requested to speak to the head of security, who upon arrival immediately removed the guard from duty and issued a verbal apology to the couple for the guard’s behavior.

We note that the security guard in question is employed by a security services company with whom the CJM has contracted and is not assigned to the CJM on a regular basis. In fact, that guard was called in to fill a temporary slot due to staffing shortage.

The guard’s behavior resulted in an event that cannot be allowed to happen again. Please let me be crystal clear that the CJM has a zero tolerance policy concerning any type of prejudiced or racist word or action— whether directed at CJM visitors or staff. Since the Museum opened its new facility in June 2008, it has engaged audiences of all ages and backgrounds through dynamic exhibitions and programs that explore contemporary perspectives on Jewish culture, history, art, and ideas. The Museum has distinguished itself as a welcoming place where visitors, regardless of their backgrounds, can connect with one another through dialogue and shared experiences with the arts. Consistent with the CJM’s zero tolerance policy, we promptly filed a formal complaint with the security services company which employs the guard in question. We informed the company that the type of behavior exhibited by the guard is contrary to the CJM’s policy and is unacceptable.

We demanded that the guard never be assigned to the CJM in any capacity at any time. Moreover, the CJM demanded that the company instruct all security guards it assigns to the CJM on appropriate behavior toward Museum visitors and provide the CJM with a corrective plan of action.

The company has assured the CJM that the guard in question has been reprimanded, and that going forwarded all of the company employees assigned to duties at the CJM will be required to attend a sensitivity training course that addresses how Museum visitors are to be treated. On behalf of the Museum, its staff, and Board of Trustees, we are truly sorry that this incident occurred in our facility. We are proud to be presenting the exhibition Seeing Gertrude Stein and welcome all visitors to experience the work on view. If you have any further questions about this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Connie Wolf, Director & CEO