Boy Scouts Gay Ban Controversy Highlights Growing Tug-Of-War Between Right And Left
Posted in: Today's ChiliWhen the Boy Scouts of America announced this week that it was delaying a decision to end a ban on openly gay troops and leaders, some noted that the organization seemed to be walking a treacherous line.
The Scouts have long had a policy forbidding openly gay children and adults from participating in the program, and more than a decade ago, the Supreme Court upheld its right to the ban. But in recent months, pressure from gay rights activists, corporate donors and religious organizations has increased, and the Scouts’ decision to delay a vote on ending the ban reveals the difficulty organizations with anti-gay policies face as gay rights become increasingly mainstream.
Much of the pressure is coming from corporate America, which has shifted dramatically over the last several years, creating internal policies that protect gay and lesbian employees and publicly supporting same-sex marriage. Last April, when the Scouts declared at an annual meeting that it would not change gay-members ban, a number of its biggest corporate donors stopped giving. UPS, Intel, Merck and United Way halted contributions, each citing its own internal anti-discrimination policies.
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