Phil Brennan, NewsMax
Monday, April 1, 2002

At a time when critics are attacking Roman Catholic dioceses in the U.S. for allowing gay priests to have access to teenage boys thus exposing them to the strong possibility of molestation, others are demanding that gay scout leaders be allowed the same kind of risky access to teenage boy scouts.

According to the News Observer, at issue in the North Carolina controversy is the demand by the Triangle United Way - a tri-county council serving 21,000 boys in 12 counties, including Durham, Orange and Wake, that the local boy scout organization offer services and programs to people regardless of sexual orientation.

If the Occoneechee Council of Boy Scouts of America loses its United Way certification by refusing to cave into the organization's demands and be forced to pledge it will admit homosexuals into its ranks, it will be barred from receiving money from Triangle United Way's general fundraising drives after July, 2003. Givers, however could still earmark their donations specifically for the Scouts.

The Occoneechee Council refused to sign the non-discriminatory pledge when they submitted their application for certification as a group entitled to inclusion in the United Way agency and were denied certification March 14.

The News Observer says the Boy Scouts are appealing the decision and reports that a final decision is expected at the next Triangle United Way board meeting due to be held on April 23.

Ignoring the danger of exposing teens to possible homosexual molestation, Triangle United Way board chairman Roger L. Perry told the News Observer that: "United Way represents the entire community, and its charge is to deliver human services to everyone in the community. We just cannot be in a position of funding organizations that discriminate in providing those services."

Right to Exclude

Local Scout council head Tom J. Dugger said his group's leadership decided not to give in to the policy because it would be in conflict with the Scouts' national charter. Under that charter, Boy Scouts of America reserves the right to exclude boys who are atheist or agnostic, or gay, national spokesman Greg Shields told the News Observer

"Scouting has worked for 93 years ... and we simply feel we cannot change the bylaws," Dugger told News Observer reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske.

Dugger added that there had been an increase in donations earmarked for his Scout council after the United Way changed its policy. He said he's confident donors will remain faithful should the Scouts and United Way go their separate ways.

Any compromise in the dispute, he explained would involve Triangle United Way giving way.

The News Observer noted that this appears unlikely, explaining that of 80 agencies applying for United Way certification this year, the Scouts council was the only one that refused to submit a nondiscrimination policy according to United Way. If it doesn't do so by the board meeting, then "almost certainly they will not be certified," Perry said.

In the name of out-of-control political correctness, The Triangle United Way organization appears to be more interested in appeasing militant homosexual groups than it is in protecting local boy scouts from potential molestation.

For more see: Save Our Scouts

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