In the genteel world of bridge, disputes are usually handled quietly and rarely involve issues of national policy. A team of women who represented the US at the world bridge championships in Shanghai last month is facing sanctions, including a yearlong ban from competition, for a spur-of-the-moment protest.At issue is a crudely lettered sign, scribbled on the back of a menu, that was held up at an awards dinner and read, “We did not vote for Bush.” By e-mail, angry bridge players have accused the women of “treason” and “sedition.”“This isn’t a free-speech issue,” said Jan Martel, president of the US Bridge Federation, the non-profit group that selects teams for international tournaments. Danny Kleinman, a professional bridge player, said: “If the USBF wants to impose conditions of membership that involve curtailment of free speech, then it cannot claim to represent our country in international competition.” The players are stunned by the reaction to what they saw as a spontaneous gesture, “a moment of levity”, said Gail Greenberg, the team’s non-playing captain and winner of 11 world championships.“What we were trying to say, not to Americans but to our friends from other countries, was that we understand that they are questioning and critical of what our country is doing these days, and we want you to know that we, too, are critical,” Greenberg said, stressing that she was speaking for herself.The controversy has gone global, with the French team offering support for its American counterparts.“By trying to address these issues in a non-violent, non-threatening and lighthearted manner,” the French team wrote in by e-mail to the federation’s board and others, “you were doing only what women of the world have always tried to do when opposing the folly of men who have lost their perspective of reality”.A hearing is scheduled this month in San Francisco, where thousands of players will gather for the Fall North American Bridge Championships. It will determine whether displaying the sign constitutes conduct unbecoming a federation member.The federation has proposed a settlement to Greenberg and the three other players, Jill Levin, Irina Levitina and Rosenberg, who have not made any mollifying statements.It calls for a one-year suspension from federation events, including the World Bridge Olympiad next year in Beijing; a one-year probation after that suspension; 200 hours of community service “that furthers the interests of organised bridge”; and an apology drafted by the federation’s lawyer. It would also require them to write a statement telling “who broached the idea of displaying the sign, when the idea was adopted”.Greenberg said she decided to put up the sign in response to questions from players from other countries about American interrogation techniques, the war in Iraq and other foreign policy issues.
