Doing programs for young people is wonderful, and, as
a former Scout Leader for both girls and boys, I can
affirm there is much merit in having programs
available through museums for the young people in
which to learn.

With that said, the following article I forwarded to
myself from the NY Times for use in discussion on
another list.  I'm not taking a position one way or
another about the subject matter itself on this one.

However, sometimes, in the development area,
sensitive/controversial subjects do have an impact on
funding and the programs presented.  I feel I would be
remiss if I did not let you know what others are doing
so that you can make your own decisions as to whether
or not you want to put on special programs for Boy
Scouts.

Scouts' Successful Ban on Gays Is Followed by Loss in
Support

   August 29, 2000
   By KATE ZERNIKE

   In the two months since the United States Supreme
Court ruled that
   the Boy Scouts of America have a constitutional
right to exclude
   gays, corporate and governmental support for the
organization has
   slipped markedly.

   Chicago, San Francisco and San Jose, Calif., have
told local
   Scout troops that they can no longer use parks,
schools and
   other municipal sites. Companies like Chase
Manhattan Bank and
   Textron Inc., have withdrawn hundreds of thousands
of dollars in
   support to local and national scouting groups
nationwide. Dozens of
   United Ways from Massachusetts to San Francisco
have cut off
   money amounting to millions of dollars each year.

   And Connecticut, in what may become a test case,
has banned
   contributions to the Scouts by state employees
through a state-run
   charity. The state is also considering whether to
block the
   Scouts from using public campgrounds or buildings.

   "It's a watershed issue," said C. Joan Parker,
assistant counsel
   to the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and
Opportunities,
   which must issue a ruling by Nov. 8 on whether the
Scouts violate
   state antidiscrimination laws.

   If the commission rules that the group does violate
those laws,
   the Boy Scouts would be prevented from using any
public
   facilities.

   "We have to decide, Are we aiding and abetting
someone that
   discriminates?" Ms. Parker said. "Clearly, any
public entity
   needs to have clean hands."

   Gregg Shields, a national spokesman for the Scouts,
said the
   organization respected the right of private
companies to donate
   only to groups of their choice. But the
organization is suing
   the State of Connecticut to restore state
employees' ability to
   donate to the Scouts, and Mr. Shields said his
group would fight
   to maintain access to public schools and public
places in other
   states as well.

   "The Boy Scouts of America since 1910 have taught
traditional
   family values," Mr. Shields said. "We feel that an
avowed
   homosexual isn't a role model for those values."

   For public and private officials around the
country, the problem
   is a complex and painful one. On the one hand, they
do not want
   to cut off valuable opportunities for the young or
run afoul of
   First Amendment principles. On the other hand, by
allowing a
   group that bans gays to use public facilities and
supporting it,
   they violate their anti discrimination statutes.

   The trim uniform of the Boy Scouts has become
almost a cherished
   national symbol. But at a time when same-sex
benefits, diversity
   training and nondiscrimination policies have become
routine, some
   companies and organizations say the Scouts' refusal
to admit gays
   has come to seem almost un-American.

   "Their position is, on the face of it, in conflict
with our
   commitment and our values on diversity," said Jim
Finn, a
   spokesman for Chase, which had contributed about
$200,000 annually
   to the Boy Scouts until stopping it last month.

   The Supreme Court ruled in June by a 5-to-4 vote
that the
   organization had a constitutional right to exclude
gays because
   opposition to homosexuality is part of the
organization's
   "expressive message."

   The decision overturned a ruling last year by the
New Jersey
   Supreme Court that applied the state's law against
discrimination
   in public accommodations to require a New Jersey
Scout troop to
   readmit a longtime member and assistant
scoutmaster, James Dale,
   whom it had dismissed after learning he is gay.

   But the ruling did not address the merits of the
ban on gays, only
   whether the Boy Scouts is a private group, and so
has the right
   to set its own membership rules.

   The Scouts, whose membership has grown to 6.2
million, said that
   the group's charter since 1910 had promoted "family
values," and
   that its oath pledged a "morally straight" life. A
   homosexual, the organization said, is not the
proper role model
   for those values.

   While the decisions to withhold support will not
seriously dent
   the $125 million raised annually by the Scouts
national
   organization, the growing effort to block local
chapters from
   meeting in places like public schools and state
campgrounds raises
   practical problems for the Scouts. Since the
ruling, many
   public bodies, charities and companies, including
Merrill Lynch,
   are beginning the discussion that has taken place
in Hartford.
   The options, they say, are equally unpleasant:
hurting children
   who are benefiting from scouting, or supporting a
position they
   find ethically untenable.

   "Do we just cut off funding, and so hundreds of
kids in Hartford
   aren't getting a program they so desperately need?"
asked Susan
   Dunn, senior vice president of the United Way of
the Capital
   Area. "Our mission is to serve our community,
especially
   children. But it's also in our mission that we
don't
   discriminate. That's where it becomes difficult."

   The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit
against the
   city of San Diego on Monday asking a federal court
to revoke a
   50-year-old agreement that lets the Scouts lease 18
acres of
   parkland for $1 a year. The lease is set to expire
in 2007.

   In Fall River, Mass., the executive director of the
local United
   Way, Bob Horne, said he was stunned at how swiftly
and strongly
   his board had acted to cut support to any Scout
troops that did
   not sign a form saying they would not endorse the
Scouts' ban on
   gays.

   "I thought that some people would try to skirt the
issue," Mr.
   Horne said. "But attendance was unbelievable, the
best attendance
   we've had all year. It could not have been a more
unanimous,
   enthusiastic vote. Obviously, there was concern for
the kids,
   but it all came down to we really have an
obligation to do the
   right thing."

   More than half the population of Fall River, an old
mill city,
   has Portuguese immigrants in its background, and an
influx of
   Cambodians has arrived in the past few years.

   "With those growing groups," Mr. Horne said,
"people are being
   more aware of diversity and doing things right and
being fair
   and not setting up separate views, the idea that
people are
   people. "People felt very strongly that we should
take this
   step." Those who are eliminating or reconsidering
their support
   are trying to respect, as the Supreme Court
affirmed, the Scouts'
   right to set its own mission.

   And cutting off money or access to one private
group raises more
   questions, officials say. Do those same charities
then cut off
   financing to groups chartered to serve, say,
Latinos? Do states
   stop allowing Roman Catholic youth groups to use
public
   campgrounds or school meeting rooms because the
church does not
   ordain gays?

   Among those debating whether to end support, some
are reluctant
   to do so because they believe the local Scout
chapters do not
   agree with the ban on gays, which was put into
effect by the
   national organization.

   "Everyone knows their work with kids is good, and
it's a policy
   that's not commonly enforced," said Marty Milkovic,
executive
   director of the United Way of Northern Fairfield
County, in
   Connecticut.

   Like chapters in many other cities, the
Southeastern New England
   United Way in Providence, R.I., has said it will
require any
   Scout council to sign a form saying it will not
discriminate.
   But the Boy Scouts' Narragansett Council, which
receives $200,000
   from the United Way, has said it must abide by the
national
   policy. And Mr. Shields, the spokesman for the
national group, said
   local councils were not allowed to disavow any part
of the
   national charter, so the councils are not allowed
to sign any
   nondiscrimination policy that would require them to
admit gays.
   Troops that disobey the national charter could face
eviction.

   Within the local councils, though, there is
increasing dissent
   from the policy. Scouting for All, a group started
by a
   15-year-old scout in California, that advocates
opening up the
   organization to gays, held a national protest day
outside Boy
   Scout headquarters in several cities last week. In
Montclair,
   N.J., parents in a local Cub Scout troop are
signing a petition
   saying they do not endorse the national policy.

   In New Milford, Conn., Gale Alexander said he and
his wife were
   torn about whether to allow their 9-year-old son to
remain in the
   Boy Scouts. They like the skills and
self-confidence the program
   has taught but, Mr. Alexander said, "I couldn't
look at my
   friends if I couldn't stand up and say this is not
right."

   So as a compromise, the Alexanders are letting
their son continue
   scouting, but they have decided to become vocal in
their
   opposition to the policy. In conversations, they
have discovered
   that other parents do not agree with it, either.

   "The idea that all the rank and file is just fine
with this is
   just a bunch of malarkey," Mr. Alexander said.
"It's time now
   for parents to speak up and say, I don't agree with
it. It's
   time for people to start fighting from within."




   The New York Times on the Web
   http://www.nytimes.com


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--- Aaron Marcavitch <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
The boy scouts (the older ones)
> have
> merit badges in american heritage, plus many more
> that
> might be specific to a site (Railroading merit badge
> for a Train Museum, etc.) The cub scouts have plenty
> of activity pins that could be tailor fit.


=====
Indigo Nights
[log in to unmask]


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