Scouting for All: Committed to Scouting, Open to Diversity. Working to end discrimination against gays, atheists, agnostics, other non-theists, and all other groups in the Boy Scouts of America.

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Activist Groups Urge Obama to Reject Boy Scout Honor

From Fox News:

Activist groups, including Scouting for All, urge President Obama not to accept the honorary Presidency of the Boy Scouts of America until they stop discriminating.

Scouting for All is a 100% Volunteer 501-(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization. Every dollar donated goes toward our education and advocacy programs, and is tax deductible.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4702412,00.html

Mont. Court: Gays Due Benefits Others Get

Thursday December 30, 2004 10:16 PM
By SUSAN GALLAGHER
Associated Press Writer

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - A divided Montana Supreme Court declared Thursday that the state constitution's guarantee of equal protection extends to gays, and ruled that the state university system must offer same-sex
couples the same health benefits available to heterosexual ones.

In a 4-3 decision, the justices struck down the university's policy of denying benefits to employees' gay partners.

The high court said the policy violates the Montana Constitution's guarantee of equal protection because unmarried heterosexual partners could get the benefit by signing a common-law marriage affidavit, while
unmarried gay partners could not.

The ruling, which reversed a 2002 lower-court decision, did not address the issue of gay marriage, which is barred under the Montana Constitution.

The case began after the University of Montana refused to let two employees in Missoula buy health insurance for their lesbian partners, who were not university employees. Carol Snetsinger and Carla Grayson and their partners sued, joined by the gay-rights group PRIDE.

Leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature sided with the university system.

The high court said it found no justification for treating unmarried same-sex couples differently from married ones.

``These two groups, although similarly situated in all respects other than sexual orientation, are not treated equally and fairly,'' the court said.

In a dissent, Justice Jim Rice said the court had radically altered common-law marriage in Montana, and reached ``the dewpoint of duplicity'' in contending it did not do so.

On the Net:
Ruling:
http://www.lawlibrary.state.mt.us/dscgi/ds.py/View/Collection-10831 PRIDE:
http://gaymontana.com/pride

Scouting For All is not an alternative scouting program.
We are an education and advocacy organization reaching out to gay and nontheist youth and adults in our effort to get the Boy Scouts of America to rescind its exlusionary policy.

Any communications sent to Scouting for All or any Scouting for All representative may be published on the Scouting for All web site or in Scouting for All materials unless the communication specifically requests that it not be published.