Two Press Releases:

Scouting For All recommends that you contact your local government official and ask that they lobby our Federal Government to STOP giving grants to the Boy Scouts of America until it rescinds its discriminatory policy against gay youth and adults and atheists.

Board of Directors Scouting For All

For a recent listing of some of these Grants, click on the following URL
http://www.nonbeliever.org/bsa_government_grants.html

The FACTS:

Helms Amendment Redundant in Light of 1984 Equal Access Act

All Responds


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 17, 2001

Petaluma, CA --On June 14th, 2001, the Senate passed the Helms Amendment 51 - 49. The Amendment prohibits the use of federal funds by any state or local educational agency or school that deny access the Boy Scouts of America to school facilities.

Many were surprised that it even came up for a vote in light of the 1984 Equal Access Act that is already on the books.

"Frankly, the amendment changes nothing in the area of equal access. It's what we've been saying all along," said Scott Cozza, President of Scouting for All. "We have always recognized that any group can meet at schools under the EAA. What the Senate vote does is highlight the fact that the BSA should not have special access, only equal access. We agree with this 100 percent."

Special access comes in many forms. According to the BSA's own figures they, as a private organization, continue to receive millions of dollars from public entities including state, local and federal government agencies - a position that Scouting for All feels is not right. "That's not equal access, that's special access," said Cozza. "They are a group that discriminates against a
segment of our population and as such, should not be receiving any government monies or special privileges from our public schools," he added.

In defending their position on the issue of equal access to accommodations, the Boy Scouts have relied heavily on the 1978 case of the Ku Klux Klan vs. the East Baton Rough Parish Schools, in which the Supreme Court forced the district to allow the Klan to meet on its grounds. But though schools must allow equal access to groups such as the Boy Scouts and the Klan, they should
do everything possible to limit any special access requests from them. Under existing anti-discrimination statutes, the schools are under no legal obligation to allow groups such as the BSA or the KKK to distribute recruitment literature through the school system. According to Lambda Legal Defense Fund, "schools can and should disassociate from the Boy Scout's discriminatory policy by ending all special rights and privileges for the Scouts, and disentangling from the Scouts in any areas where the school would be reasonably perceived as a partner or accomplice to the Scouts' exclusion of gay youth and volunteer adults from membership."

"Unless a group adheres to the school's anti-discrimination policy, they should not be allowed to recruit members on school grounds or send home literature to parents," Cozza stated. "If a recruitment flyer does get sent home, there will be some child who will know that everyone can join but them. That is a message no school should ever send to our kids.



Media Contact

Scott Cozza, Pres.
Scouting for All Info@scoutingforall.org
www.scoutingforall.org