Philly Evicts Boy Scouts Over Ban on Gay Scouts

A local Boy Scouts council has sued the city to stay in its municipally owned headquarters of 80 years amid eviction threats over the Scouts’ ban on gays.

The Scouts, in their federal suit filed Friday, seek to stop the city from charging about $200,000 in annual rent or evicting them. The Scouts currently pay $1 a year for the site.

‘‘We’re not punishing them for not admitting homosexuals,’‘ City Solicitor Shelley Smith said Tuesday. ‘‘But they can’t get free rent and violate our [nondiscrimination] policy.’‘

Filed under:

How is protecting boys from

How is protecting boys from molesters and pedophiles “discrimination”?

Gay Scouts

Your comment betrays your lack of knowledge.

There is no evidence that gay scout leaders are molesters and pedophiles. In fact, in most cases molesters and pedophiles identify as heterosexual, not homosexual.

The truth is that there are already gay scout members and gay leaders who just remain closeted.

Since the Scout’s value honesty wouldn’t it be better for them to acknowledge the truth?

That's not particularly fair.

Someone can be gay without being criminal.

Perhaps we should kick the

Perhaps we should kick the US Senate and House out of the Capitol building.

Why?

.

Cake and eat it too

The scouts are just a young right-wing prep organization. They talk honesty and loyalty, but promote hate and discrimination. The bottom line is they are not entitled to the rent abatement if they are in violation of the nondiscrimination policy.

That's crap.

Boy Scouts do amazing things for communities.

Specifically the Scoutreach program works to get kids out of gangs into an organization that promotes civic involvement and charity.

Every dollar given to the Boy Scouts helps America.

You hate doesn’t stop that.

Amazing Scouts

Perhaps they may do “amazing things” but, they also discriminate.

Ignorance

As a former scout that is one of the most ignorant comments I have ever heard. Personally I do not believe in the scouts ban on homosexuality butthat doesn’t mean that the scouts are a hateful goup. Hell most scoumasters allow parents and kids who are gay in and they reach the rank of Eagle Scout. This is a ban that very few groups actually enforce

The scouts learn things

The scouts learn things like being “morally straight”, something that the culture of death hates.
They also learn skills, but that’s not what the culture of death likes.
I’ve never heard that scouts “hate” anyone. There are some interesting studies that many who were molested by homosexuals become homosexuals, and owe their shortened lifespans to that.
It’s politically incorrect to say so, but there may be some truly bad motives at work here.

There's a lot here.

1. The scouts do teach great stuff and provide a healthy way for boys to learn and grow.

2. I agree that Boy Scouts is a great organization.

3. I do think that some people are just gay and it’s not bad.

Stay the corse young men ,

Stay the corse young men , for even you are being tested for thy own will.5-fold the punishment for hurting one of HIS.

It's Course

Bible quoters, these are the people to be afraid of. Living in a their own world of fairytale and fantasy, with not concept of reality.

That's lame.

You’d say someone’s reality is false while your’s is not? Very open minded of you.

Lame

Where’s the reality in quoting scripture.

Scouts

The Boy Scouts have the right to practice and preach whatever they choose. That being said, they are not entitled to ANY public funding while they choose to discriminate. Hopefully as they grow into adulthood and learn to think for themselves, many of these young men will recognize the scouts for the farce that it is.

They provide quite a value to the community.

If they are allowed to do so.

It’s not like the time they meet is a time when people are jumping to use the facility.

Why don’t we get rid of

Why don’t we get rid of this devil organization and give the kids more time to spend on the streets?

Yeah, that will keep the kids away from the evil people.

That's it

now you’ve got the idea. i’d rather be streetwise than scoutwise. if there is such a thing.

Liberty City Scouts

This issue of rent vs free space for this particular BSC has been going on for a few years now, ever since the national BSCA decided it was A-OK to discriminate against gay scout leaders and scouts themselves.

IIRC, though, the Liberty City Scouts specifically don’t (or agreed not to) discriminate and that’s why they’ve been able to stay in the building for nominal rent for the past few years.

I completely agree it’s wrong for public dollars to go to subsidize rent for a member of a national organization that discrimates. OTOH, it’s a shame that this particular troop is caught in the middle.

pd

Indeed they do

This Scout Council does indeed discriminate. They evicted a teen scout for coming out as gay.

No one is implying that the public can change BSA policy. They will continue to discriminate since they are so heavily supported by extremely conservative churches who themselves discriminate against gay and lesbian citizens.

The public in no way needs to endorse discrimination by providing services – or a building – to any group at no cost. The Scouts can pay market-rate rent, buy the building outright, or move. They are free agents.

That was probably the trigger

I’m pretty sure this particular troop didn’t agree with the national BSA’s policy. That’s why they were allowed to stay in this building at minimal rent for the last few years since the National BSA policy took effect. But as soon as they did disriminate, the city did as they warned the BSA they would and started charging them market rate rent.

Otherwise, I couldn’t agree more with your argument.

pd

Should people in NAMBLA be

Should people in NAMBLA be allowed as scout leaders? Liberals are unable to tell the difference between right and wrong.

NAMBLA?

I was under the assumption the NAMBLA and the Boy Scouts were one in the same. The scouts do not deserve any public funding. They are conservative, right-wing organization that discriminates. If the conservatives are so pro-scouting, then let the conservatives provide the funding. Why should “liberal” tax payers have their tax dollars used to fund an organization of which they do not support.

Scouting For All

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