America’s oldest men’s club may have to scoutout a new home

The day has arrived. After a fight that went to the Supreme Court,karma is finally coming back to bite the Boy Scouts of America in theass.

When the Supreme Court ruled that the Boy Scouts have the right todiscriminate against homosexuals and atheists, the decision left manyliberals bitter, frustrated and, frankly, pissed off. But alas, wehad to face the facts — the scouts are a private organization andtherefore have the right to deny admission to anyone.

Now the American Civil Liberties Union has stepped forward withquite a compelling question for discussion. Is it OK for a privateorganization that discriminates against gays and atheists to benefitfrom occupying city land — particularly when that city has a HumanDignity Ordinance?

According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, the Boy Scouts ofAmerica may have to vacate their long-time Balboa Park home whentheir lease is up in 2007 because their policies of discriminationare in direct violation of this ordinance. Well, if a law’s a law,then just as homosexual’s and enlightened evolutionists have to steerclear of the Ku Klux Klan’s mainstream offshoot, the Boy Scouts ofAmerica have to build their own home. America, home of the brave andland of the free, has no more vacancies.

The issue was first presented to the city council in closedsession and was followed by testimony from the public. According toGeorge Biagi, head of public relations for city council memberChristine Kehoe, members are expected to further discuss the issue inthe next few months.

In addition, the ACLU has officially filed suit to boot the scoutsfrom land they’ve rented for more than 50 years. So, if everythinggoes the way it morally should (after all, a law’s a law, rightboys?), the city of San Diego may soon be out $1 a year, the amountthe Boy Scouts pay to occupy the 16-acre Balboa Park space. Onedollar — a small price to pay to run a nationally recognized stapleof America’s male youth.

Withany luck, the price just went way up, and the Boy Scouts will soonsee what it’s like to pay real rental fees in Southern California.

If indeed the Boy Scouts are asked to uproot and head for thehills, it’ll be a big step forward for local government — and aneven greater stand against oppression and discrimination. After all,other cities have taken similar stances — isn’t it time we joinedthe ranks?

“The Broward school board in Florida evicted the Boy Scouts fromschool property following the Supreme Court decision,” Biagi said.”And in September, the Miami Beach City Council voted to expand theHuman Rights Ordinance to deny rental fees to organizations thatdiscriminate.”

Hmm, all this liberal hubbub happening in a state that just turnedits 25 electoral votes over to Bush? There’s something fishy inFlorida, but it’s nice to know it has its act together on something.

Hopefully, San Diego will follow suit. True, this great city ofours is historically conservative. Memories still linger of how SanDiego voters overwhelmingly supported Proposition 22, the initiativethat put a ban on gay and lesbian marriage in California. And morerecently, Dick Murphy, who is strongly opposed to gay and lesbianrights, was elected mayor.

Still, there have been a few moments of encouragement this pastyear. The recent election of openly gay politicians Kehoe and ToniAtkins to State Assembly and city council, respectively, isencouraging. Both won their seats by a landslide number of votes –their sexual preference being a non-issue during the campaigningprocess.

And regardless of her otherwise conservative views, mayor SusanGolding has a history of voting in support of gay and lesbian rights.She played an integral role in the city’s official stance to opposeProp. 22 and has frequently made known her approval of gay-friendlyevents, such as Gay Pride celebrations and AIDS Walk.

The time is long overdue for other local governments to followFlorida’s lead. School boards and city governments simply should notsupport organizations that discriminate based on sexual preferenceand religious choice.

This country was founded on the belief that its citizens deservedthe right to freedom of religion. And though that ideal has failed usmany times over — think Puritan society and much of the underlyingcause of the Civil War — it is the year 2000 and we need to startacting like it. Any organization singling out kids as being”unwelcome” based on biological emotion or free belief has no rightto call upon a public domain for financial support.

With these baby steps in the right direction, the time has comefor San Diego’s City Council to make a landmark stand againstdiscrimination. If school districts in Florida say they aren’t goingto take it, then the city of San Diego shouldn’t put up with the BoyScouts of America either.

Pack your bags boys — you’ve overstayed your welcome.

–Ross von Metzke is opinion editor of The Daily Aztec and ajournalism senior. Send e-mail to daletter2000@hotmail.com.

–This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of TheDaily Aztec.