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May 28, 2008, 01:28 PM ET
Boy Scouts Chapter Sues Philadelphia
A Boy Scouts chapter is suing the City of Philadelphia for its efforts to force the organization to pay rent on its headquarters because it does not permit homosexuals to join, reports the Associated Press.
The Cradle of Liberty Council accused the city of censorship in its lawsuit. The city is threatening to increase the council’s rent from $1 annually to the fair market rate of $200,000 per year unless it opens its membership to homosexuals. The council contends that the city allows other groups that limit membership to have free or nominal leases.
“We will not allow discrimination in providing services on city property,” said Michael Nutter, Philadelphia’s ‘s mayor. A city ordinance passed in 1982 forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Jason Gosselin, a lawyer representing the council, said of the charity, “They’re providing a tremendous public benefit. They’re giving back a whole lot more than what they get from the city.”
In 2000, the Supreme Court ruled that because the Boy Scouts is a private group, it could invoke its First Amendment rights to bar homosexuals from entry. When the local Philadelphia council adopted a nondiscrimination policy in 2003 after talks with the city, it was told by the Boy Scouts of America that it could not stray from the national organization’s rules.
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