ATLANTA (AP) – Talks abruptly ended on Thursday, May 27, in a dispute between two gay couples and an exclusive country club in Atlanta that refuses to grant memberships to the partners of gay members.

Lee Kyser and Randy L. New, both members of the Druid Hills Golf Club, which charges a $40,000 initiation fee and about $475 in monthly dues, want their respective partners to be afforded the same privileges as other members’ spouses. But the club has refused, citing bylaws that permit such privileges only for members who are legally married.

Under the club rules, the two may bring their respective partners only as guests, pay a large fee each time, and may only bring them for a limited number of times a year.

In January the Atlanta Human Relations Commission found the club guilty of violating the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance and Mayor Shirley Franklin ordered the case to arbitration.

Since then the parties have met only once, on May 27, and the meeting broke down shortly after it began.

The case now goes back to the mayor. Under the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance, the mayor could take various actions against the 1,100-member club, including revoking its liquor and business licenses. The club’s attorney, Emmet Bondurant, argued that the ordinance is unenforceable.

Georgia law forbids same-sex marriage, but Atlanta allows same-sex couples to register with the city as domestic partners. The city also prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Shortly after the Human Relations Commission issued its initial ruling against the club, a member of the state legislature introduced a bill that would exempt country clubs from local human rights codes. The bill died in committee.

In March, the legislature approved a proposed amendment to the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. The measure will go to voters in November.