Massachusetts Mayor Boycotts Boy Scouts
Seth Lewis, CNSNews.com
Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2001
Another city has wielded its influence to boycott the Boy Scouts.
The mayor of Gloucester, Mass., canceled a city-sponsored funding drive for United Way because of the group's allegiance to the embattled Scouts, according to Sunday's Boston Herald.
The Scouts' policy against homosexual leaders angered Gloucester Mayor Bruce Tobey, who cut a program that let city employees donate money to the United Way.
"You don't take a first step on the slippery slope of discrimination," Tobey told the Gloucester Daily Times. "The Boy Scouts do a good service for a lot of people, but the good cannot be coupled when there is public involvement with discrimination."
He told the newspaper he was inspired to pull the plug on the United Way after an Arizona mayor did the same thing - and then saw his approval rating soar to 80 percent.
In the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling last year that allowed the Scouts to ban homosexuals, United Way's support has splintered. While the group remains the Scouts' biggest backer, more than 40 of its chapters have revoked their donations.
Some school districts have followed suit, refusing to allow the Scouts to use public facilities. But the Senate passed legislation last month that would cut federal funding to schools that throw out the Boy Scouts.
Copyright CNSNews.com
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