House Backs Boy Scouts Charter

W A S H I N G T O N, Sept. 13, 2000 -- The House came down solidly behind the BoyScouts today with a 362-12 vote to reject a proposal to revoketheir eight-decade-old federal charter because of the scoutingorganization’s policy of excluding gays.

Republicans, who brought the legislation to the House floor toshow the lack for support for critics of the Scouts, labeled it anattack on American values.

Rep. Cass Ballenger, R-N.C., said half the members of the Housewere former scouts and would defend an organization “as Americanas apple pie and baseball.”

Extremism, or Attempt to Embarrass?

While the bill’s opponents accused its few Democratic supportersof extremism, Democrats complained that the GOP’s only intent wasto embarrass them. Fifty-one voted “present” to protest theprocedure.

David Smith of the Human Rights Campaign, a leading gay rightsorganization, said Republicans were “trying to change the subjectfrom hate crimes to Boy Scouts.” The GOP leadership is resistingDemocratic attempts to pass hate crimes legislation this year. Beyond the politics, the legislation offered by Rep. LynnWoolsey, D-Calif., spotlighted the uneasy relationship between thefederal government and the Boy Scouts since the organization’sstance toward gays became a national issue. Woolsey said she was a Girl Scout and one of her sons was a BoyScout “We’re not saying the Boy Scouts are bad; we’re saying thatintolerance is bad.” “I know the value of scouting, and that’s why I believescouting should be available to all boys, not just to some boys,”Woolsey said during Tuesday night’s debate. She was the onlyDemocrat to speak in favor of the legislation.

In contrast, a long line of Republicans rose to condemn thebill.

Debate on Values vs. ‘Political Stunt’“It’s an attack on the fundamental values of America,” saidRep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, led by “a small group of extremists onthe minority side.” But Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., top Democrat on the JudiciaryCommittee, said Republicans were engaging in a “political stunt”in bringing to the floor a bill that had had no hearings orcommittee vote and didn’t have a chance of passage. Woolsey said she wasn’t told until Monday evening thatRepublicans were taking up her legislation. It “was a totalsurprise to me.” “We’re disappointed that this bill would even be considered,”Boy Scouts spokesman Gregg Shields said. Having a federal charteris an honor and “we hope to continue to live up to that honor,”he added. The Boy Scouts got their federal charter in 1916, six yearsafter it was founded. It is one of about 90 groups with suchdesignation, an honorary title given to patriotic, charitable andeducation organizations. While it confers no specific benefits, receiving a federalcharter is a mark of prestige and national recognition for a group.Among other groups with federal charters are the American Legion,Future Farmers of America, the National Tropical Botanical Gardenand the National Ski Patrol. The Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision in June, upheld the BoyScouts’ ban on homosexuals serving as troop leaders. That rulingmay also give legal backing to the 6.2 million-memberorganization’s rejection of gay youths as members.

Scouts See Conflicting Values The Scouts asserted that homosexual conduct is inconsistent withthe values it seeks to instill. Separately in June, President Clinton issued an executive orderbarring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation infederally conducted education and training programs. The Interior Department in August asked the Justice Departmentfor guidance on how that order affected the holding of Boy ScoutJamborees on federal lands. GOP presidential nominee George W. Bush and other Republicansquickly accused the Clinton administration of trying to throw thescouts off federal lands. But Attorney General Janet Reno, in astatement this month, said the tradition of Boy Scouts usingfederal lands for camping and other activities could continue. After the June Supreme Court ruling, Clinton said he is“generally against discrimination against gays.” But he refusedto criticize the Scouts or the court’s ruling. “The Boy Scoutsstill are — they’re a great group. They do a lot of good.”