Dear President Boutilier and International Board of Directors of Sweet Adelines International,

Per a video and accompanying script sent to members via email on January 25, 2022, Sweet Adelines International announced that “all attendees and competitors will be required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. For those with documented medical and religious exemptions, a negative PCR test within 72 hours of the event will be available as an option.”

The Sweet Adelines International members and supporters (event attendees) signed below respectfully request you rescind the requirement for “full vaccination or documented medical and religious exemption” to attend events. We request, if you must require any restrictions at all, that you require proof of negative test within 72 hours of arrival for all attendees. While proof of negative test is only a single point in time, it provides equity for all, whether you believe in reduced transmission due to vaccine or natural immunity, both of which have been acknowledged by the CDC. If liability is your concern, you could use your liability waiver statement included in the PDF registration form for regional competitors.

We do not wish to debate the efficacy of vaccination but intend to protect the rights of all members for medical privacy within this volunteer organization. A person’s vaccination status and/or reasons for such status are inherently private and, as such, should not be a requirement for participation in any Sweet Adelines event or activity. Proof of negative test is currently the only CDC approved method for determining an individual's transmissibility at a given point in time.

Respect ALL human rights and medical privacy; rescind the vaccination or exemption mandate. It is the right & fair thing to do.

Signed,

Your Members & Supporters