In October 2007 Philadelphia city officials determined that the local Boy Scouts chapter would have to pay an additional $199,999 in rent per year for the city owned headquarters because of the ban on gay scouts.
The organization’s Cradle of Liberty Council, which currently pays $1 a year in rent, must pay the increased amount to remain in its downtown building past May 31, Fairmount Park Commission president Robert N.C. Nix said Wednesday.
City officials say they cannot legally rent taxpayer-owned property for a nominal sum to a private organization that discriminates. The city owns the land and the Beaux Arts building constructed by the Scouts in 1928.
Boy Scouts of America fought hard to maintain its right as a private relgious based organization to discriminate against gays and atheists. At the same time they wish to maintain their special privileges such as free or nearly free use of lands and facilities, tax-exempt status, governmental sponsorship and more. They want to have the best of both worlds; to be considered a private group with regard to their own rules and regulations, but a public non-profit when it comes to everybody elses. In other words, dear reader, they want to be subsidized by your tax dollars while reserving the right to discriminate against you or your loved ones. Furthermore the Right Wing–famous for raving against the funding social programs that might keep children off the street after school, put food in their mouths, or pay for their health care–fully supports tax dollars going to the homophobic and atheist-hating BSA.
Now an effort is underway by homopobes to pressure Philadelphia officials to reverse their decision. Thus far 1,200 signatures supporting the BSA’s right to be bigots have been collected and submitted to mayor-elect Michael Nutter.
According to Gramley, the media and homosexual activists have silenced many supporters — even though she says there are far more supporters than naysayers.
Silenced many supporters how? Gagged and beat them? Shipped them off to Gitmo? I’d be interested to hear exactly how this amazing feat was accomplished. More than likely these alleged silenced supporters exist only in Gramley’s mind.
But as city leaders continue to kowtow to homosexual activists, she continues, the Scouts have no other choice than to either sign the one-year lease for $200,000 or find a new location by May
I’m sorry Gramley sees the city leaders making the BSA follow the law as “kowtowing to homosexual activists”. Actually, I’m not sorry. It’s high time that people and groups that discriminate against others based on their deeply held religious beliefs or other dubious criteria stop being granted special rights and privileges.
Boy Scouts of America cannot keep one foot on each side of the line. It cannot claim to be both a private organization , which gives it the right to discriminate, and a non-profit group, thereby granting it special privileges. It must decide which it wants–or needs–more.
