Boy Scouts of America, the Greater New York Council of the BSA is Urging the National Organization to Rethink its Anti-gay Policies

Gay-Tolerant Boy Scouts Urged in NYC
As City Council Considers the Ax

2001 DiversityInc.com
Feb. 28, 2001
http://diversityinc.com/insidearticlepg.cfm?SubMenuID=220&ArticleID=2526&CFID=1214542&CFTOKEN=47414506

Summarized Article

Faced with public hearings to examine New York City s relationship with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), the Greater New York Council of the BSA is urging the national organization to rethink its anti-gay policies. New York City Schools Chancellor Harold O. Levy in December ruled that the Scouts exclusion of gays conflicts with the school board s anti-discrimination policies. The potential consequences include a council ban on city-sponsored BSA-affiliated programs, including Learning for Life, an outreach program for at-risk youth between ages 5 and 20. Learning for Life s Explorers program, which is supported by the New York City Police Department, educates young men and women about law-enforcement careers. New York City Boy Scouts programs serve about 130,000 youths. "Now, people from within the Boy Scouts, in the largest council in the country, are lashing out against the national council," he said. Boy Scouts troops in California and Rhode Island have created their own anti-discrimination statements and urged the national organization to change its policies, but they have made little progress. The Boy Scouts of America should pay attention," he said.