2008 California Election Forum

This week the Boy Scouts in Philadelphia had to change their policy on homosexuality-they refused.

For nearly 80 years they have paid $1.00 a year to rent city facilities. If they don't change their policy, they must pay the city $200,000 a year to rent.

The Philadelphia Boy Scouts help 64,000 kids a year by equipping kids to be successful. 70% are inner-city kids, including such programs as after school mentoring.

The liberal Democrats are ignoring that Philadelphia is filled with crime, high delinquency rates and aimless kids. The Boy Scouts need support, not politically correct attacks.

In a free society, we have the right to hold beliefs and views that others may disagree on. What the city is doing is discriminating, and this is just wrong.

Back in 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the group's right to bar gay scout masters based on the principle of freedom of association. But Philadelphia's intolerance to the religious and moral beliefs of the Boy Scouts is trying to get around the court ruling.

“At the end of the day, you cannot be in a city-owned facility being subsidized by the taxpayers and not have language in your lease that talks about nondiscrimination," said City Councilman Darrell L. Clarke, "Negotiations are over.”

On June 1, 2008, the group will be evicted.

“Since we were founded, we believe that open homosexuality would be inconsistent with the values that we want to communicate with our leaders," said Gregg Shields, national spokesman for the Boy Scouts. "A belief in God is also mentioned in the Scout oath. We believe that those values are important. Tradition is important. Our mission is to instill those values in scouts and help them make good choices over their lifetimes.”

Pray they stand strong and the city reverses its policy.