Los Angeles to Boy Scouts: Not on Our Dime  

In response to the Boy Scout position regarding gays and lesbians, the Los Angeles City Council will no longer allow the Boy Scouts, or their Explorer program, to use city services and facilities at no charge.

Speaking with a unanimous voice, the Los Angeles City Council voted 11-0 to sever official ties with the Boy Scouts as well as their Explorer program, and discontinue the previous policy of waiving fees for the groups' uses of city facilities.

The council's resolution also directed all city agencies to review their ties with the Boy Scouts in order to determine whether such relationships should continue.

The City Council action was in direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision which allowed the Boy Scouts to continue its practice of discrimination against gays and lesbians, both as scouts as well as in positions of leadership, on the basis that Boy Scouts is a private organization. The City Councilperson Jackie Goldberg also cited the Scouts' policy of not allowing atheists to participate as scouts or leaders as a factor in determining that the City of Los Angeles position --- that the city will not tolerate nor support discrimination.

Hugh Travis, the director of Boy Scouts for the Western Region, attempted to draw a picture of the Scouts as following some type of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, "We have had a long involvement with the Police Department and Sheriff's Department and believe the quality of both agencies have been enhanced through our partnership. We have a national policy, but on our applications we don't ask about sexual orientation, religion or politics. What we ask is that people not wear their sexual orientation, religion or politics on their sleeves. When they do, that's when we have to take action."

Even if Travis was correct, his theory is not responsive to the basis of the council's decision --- for the discrimination exists, regardless of the trigger.

Some in the community cited the good works that the Boy Scouts do, but again, that was not the issue. Many groups do good work, but no amount of good work can balance a desire to take a stand against discrimination. Consider this: Should a city provide free facilities to the Ku Klux Klan if they are holding a bake sale to raise funds to donate to a hospital? The answer, of course, is no, and the answer should be, and is, no different to the form of discrimination practiced by the Boy Scouts.

Others questioned the sense of "punishing children due to the actions of adults." However, that is much like blaming the victims, the gays, lesbians and atheists who are the subject of discrimination at the hands of the Boy Scouts. The Boy Scouts hold the cure in their hands --- end the discrimination and the City of Los Angeles will no doubt lift the ban.

While Travis noted the local council would have no ability to change the policies of the national board of the Boy Scouts, it certainly has a voice in the decision making process. Also, Los Angeles is not the first city to take this stand, San Diego, San Francisco and Chicago having already passed similar resolutions.

If evil occurs because good people do nothing, then this is a step in the right direction.

The discrimination by the Boy Scouts is the evil, and the good cities are letting the Scouts know that discrimination is not acceptable.