Boy Scout Chapter Ignores Deadline in Discrimination Case
December 6, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
The Philadelphia chapter of the Boy Scouts of America has ignored a city-imposed deadline to renounce its ban on open homosexuals and atheists, and the group could lose its lease as a result, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The 64,000-member Boy Scout council (known as Cradle of Liberty) pays the city $1 per year in rent, far below market value. The city — backed by a recent Supreme Court decision that says public funds cannot be used to support groups that discriminate — ordered the Boy Scouts to end discriminatory practices by December 3 or face a rent increase, to $200,000.
The Boy Scouts counter that, as a private organization, it has the right to determine who joins the group’s ranks — a stance buttressed by a separate Supreme Court decision, from 2000. The group also says it cannot afford higher rent, especially after investing millions to renovate the building.
The group could be forced to leave by June 2 if a settlement is not reached in the meantime.
