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Scouts' Gay Stance Clouds Use Of Land --Philadelphia Inquirer, June 30, 2003 Some Philadelphia officials and activists say a city owned site should not be used for free by an organization that excludes. --By Linda K. Harris and Miriam Hill, Inquirer Staff Writers 
PHILADELPHIA - For more than three quarters of a century, a local
Boy Scout council has enjoyed the free use of city land for its headquarters
at 22nd and Winter Streets in Philadelphia. Now city politicians and gay
civil rights activists - in light of the Scouts' rigid anti-gay stance -
are raising questions about that arrangement."We should be prepared to do something," said Councilman Frank DiCicco, whose district includes areas of Center City. "We should begin taxing them on that land or giving them notice that they should move on." Councilman Darrell L. Clarke also expressed concern. "If there's discriminatory practices in the facility, it shouldn't matter if it's free or if there's rent," Clarke said. "There could be some possibility of rethinking our lease-term arrangements if they're not in compliance with our policy" of nondiscrimination. 
In 1928, the Philadelphia City Council voted in favor of letting the Philadelphia
Boy Scouts use rent-free nearly half an acre of land "in perpetuity." The
Boy Scouts intended to build a new headquarters and a year later, it was
complete. The
Boy Scout Resource Center
, as the building is called, is an imposing building of light-colored stone.
In front of it stands a life-size statue of a Boy Scout, and above the large
wooden door, the Boy Scout oath is inscribed: "On my honor, I will do my best
to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the scout law."The questions arise because of the city's prohibition against discrimination based on sexual orientation. The prohibition is part of the city's Fair Practices Ordinance, which was passed in 1982 by City Council. In 2002, in a bill introduced by DiCicco, council added sexual identity, which affects transsexuals, to the list. A spokeswoman for the mayor said Friday that the administration was studying the issue of what to do with the property. "The mayor has asked us to look at the 1928 agreement and see how it squares up with or is in opposition to the Fair Practices Ordinance," said Barbara Grant, the mayor's spokeswoman. "We're not sure how the law applies here, and we want to take a look at that before we take a position here." William T. Dwyer III, scout executive for the Cradle of Liberty Council, the local governing body for scouts in Philadelphia, Delaware County, and Montgomery County, declined comment on the issue. "I'm fairly new here and don't know much about the arrangement," he said. 
Malcolm Lazin, executive director of Equality Forum, an international gay
civil rights group based in Philadelphia, was firm in his belief that the
city should take some action. "Here public land, and extremely valuable
public land, is being provided without charge," said Lazin, "If the city
is making that kind of donation, the Cradle of Liberty Council should be
operating within the guidelines of the human relations code." Map courtesy
MapQuest®
.Stacey L. Sobel, executive director of Philadelphia's Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, said the center is in the process of reviewing the city's Fair Practices Ordinance, which, as she pointed out, forbids a group from invoking "its private character for the purpose of excluding or discriminating." "At this time, we're not sure of the full ramifications of this language upon the Boy Scouts," Sobel said. In May, the Cradle of Liberty Council, in defiance of the Boy Scouts of America's national policy, voted to end discrimination against gays. The move was, in part, an attempt to save the yearly grants of more than $400,000 from the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Many United Way donors were concerned that United Way funds were going to an organization that openly discriminated against gays. The Cradle of Liberty Council already had lost major grants from other local foundations, including the Pew Charitable Trusts, the William Penn Foundation and the Philadelphia Foundation because of the policy of discriminating against gays. But soon after the decision to end discrimination became public, the national organization threatened to revoke the local council's charter and replace the board. The council rescinded its new antidiscrimination policy shortly thereafter. Boy Scouts of America have been able to legally defend their position of discriminating against gays. In June 2000, a divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled , in the case of a New Jersey assistant scoutmaster who was expelled for being gay, that the Boy Scouts had the right to bar homosexuals as troop leaders. End of article. Contact staff writer Linda K. Harris at 215-854-4417 or lharris@phillynews.com. Philadelphia Inquirer, June 30, 2003 PO Box 8263, Philadelphia, PA, 19101 Fax: 215-854-4483 E-Mail: Inquirer.opinion@phillynews.com http://www.philly.com Please use your "Back" button or "Back Arrow" button to go back to the previous page or use the navigation links below. |
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"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." –Martin Luther King, Jr. "Institutionalized homophobia in the Scouts or in church or school is the cruelest of all. It makes life miserable for young gay people and it misleads their peers with regard to the truth about gay people—that we are remarkably similar to the rest." –Ian McKellen, Actor (Gandalf in Lord of the Rings and Magneto in X-Men), quoted with permission. Main site: http://www.mckellen.com Quote: http://www.mckellen.com/epost/m030924.htm |
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