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SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) -- Facing the possible loss of up to $1 million in funding, Boy Scouts of America leaders refused to budge Tuesday on the organization's hard-line stand forbidding homosexuals from participating in the youth group. Buford Hill, the BSA's western regional director, said the organization was not going to be intimidated into change by the threat of a loss of funds from the Bay Area United Way. The latter organization has been reviewing its financial commitment to the Scouts. "The recommendations being made by the United Way of the Bay Area would force Scouting to walk away from more than eight decades of good work and solid values upon which the BSA has been built,'' Hill said. ``We will not allow that to happen. Our values and principles are not up for negotiation.'' The recommendations contained in the United Way's Task Force report, which has yet to be made public, gave the Boy Scouts two options. First, the BSA could review, consider and change its position of disallowing homosexuals to be members or leaders. If that position is not possible than the six local BSA councils should be given an exemption from the national BSA bylaw, on a pilot basis, to adopt a local policy that allows homosexuals in the Bay Area to become members or leaders. "The report reads like an ultimatum, and we find it inappropriate and inconsistent with the long, productive relationship we have had with United Way of the Bay Area for half a century,'' said Hill. Two scout troops -- one in San Jose and another in Berkeley -- already have risked sanctions from the national BSA governing body by refusing to implement the ban. A group of homosexual scouts and former scouts -- called the Forgotten Scouts -- also have targeted the national body. "Change is difficult,'' said Ken McPherson, Forgotten Scouts co-founder. ``We recognized that from the beginning. United Way finds itself in a difficult position, but the position they (officials of the United Way) appear to be ready to take shows a great deal of understanding and its a clear step forward. "We now feel it's time for the Boy Scouts to open a dialogue and learn who we are as people. Many gay people are among the best role models the community has to offer,'' McPherson said. The recommendations will not become official until a vote by the Bay Area United Way's Board of Directors on Thursday. ``I hope that the Board of Directors of the Bay Area United Way will reject this Task Force report when they review it on Thursday,'' Hill said. ``I know that the members of this Task Force meant well in their efforts, but they are advocating a position that is unacceptable and untenable for the Boy Scouts of America.'' Hill noted that the potential impact of the Task Force report on the Bay Area community is significant. Nearly 100,000 Bay Area youths participate in Boy Scouts of America programs. ``However, we cannot allow the mission of the BSA to be changed by the United Way of the Bay Area in San Francisco,'' Hill said. ``We hope it is not the intent of the United Way of the Bay Area to ask the BSA to 'negotiate' on the values, principles and standards that we hold dear. We consider ourselves partners with them in serving the youth of today.'' United Way of the Bay Area included the Boy Scouts in its campaign for fiscal years 1992-93. In addition to the $849,345 allocated to the six local councils in 1991-92, the Scouts received $326,000 in United Way gifts that donors earmarked for that organization. In calling the Task Force report unacceptable, Hill said the BSA's national executive board of directors -- composed of volunteers from across the country -- last week voted unanimously to reaffirm the BSA's position forbidding homosexuals as members or leaders. In May 1991, the Superior Court in Los Angeles upheld the national BSA position.
S.F. Scouts let gays belong The San Francisco Bay Area Council of the Boy Scouts has quietly adopted a more lenient policy toward gay members and leaders, putting it in apparent conflict with the national Scouts but positioning it to try to win back United Way and corporate funding cut off four years ago. The national Boy Scouts of America opposes allowing homosexual members or leaders, and in the past it has expelled gays. A spokesman in Irving, Texas, where the Scouts have their headquarters, said that policy was unchanged. But the Bay Area Council has adopted a policy that doesn't call for the expulsion unless the Scout or Scout leader engages in public homosexual conduct or advocacy. "This is a very difficult issue," said Steve Barnes, the former military man who took over as the local council's chief executive officer last year. "What we've done is define where and when we'd take action. "If you come into our program and you are interested in conduct or advocacy, then we will not retain you." However, the Bay Area Council's new policy on sexuality, marked "confidential (and) not intended for public release," doesn't bar membership for simply being homosexual and forbids Scout officials from investigating a member's or leader's sexual orientation. The policy was crafted by San Francisco business leader and Scout board member Stephen Bechtel Jr. and was passed by the council's board in an August meeting, sources said. Avoiding "politics of the day' "The Boy Scouts of America does not ask prospective members about their sexual preference, nor do we check on the sexual orientation of boys who are already in scouting," the policy says. "We allow youth to live as children and enjoy scouting and its diversity without immersing them in the politics of the day. "The Boy Scouts of America has always taught youth the traditional values of scouting families. Accordingly, we do not allow for the registration of members or as leaders those whose public conduct or advocacy does not suggest these traditional values." Barnes said, "In this program, we judge people on the content of their character and their behavior. We need to be asexual as well as apolitical. . . . We're here to serve kids. We're here to serve all kids." Rejecting the idea that the policy was a version of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, Barnes said, "Sexuality is an adult issue. We don't think kids should be part of that. Most of these kids are Cub Scouts, aged 8 to 11, and there's nothing appropriate about anybody having a discussion with an 8- or 11-year-old about sexuality. "And the politics (of the debate over gay rights) is not something we should get involved in." Bechtel was unavailable for comment, and the Boy Scouts of America spokesman in Irving referred The Examiner's inquiry to local Scout officials. "They said OK' Asked about the national Scouts' reaction, Barnes said, "We've communicated with the national office that this is our policy interpretation, (and) they said OK. Each council is independent, and (its) executive board has the responsibility to set policy for that council." The Bay Area Council has some 32,000 Scouts and 5,500 leaders in San Francisco and Alameda County, except for Piedmont and the city of Alameda. Some or all of the other six Scout councils in the Bay Area apparently have been approached about adopting similar policies, but none has acted yet, sources said. None of the Scout councils in the Bay Area receives United Way funds. The United Way cut off nearly $500,000 in annual funding to Bay Area councils in 1992 because of the Scouts' anti-gay policies. Several major corporations - Levi Strauss, Bank of America and Wells Fargo - subsequently cut off funding as well. Tom Ruppanner, president of United Way of the Bay Area, had a careful response when asked whether the Bay Area Council's new policy would restore funding. "The United Way of the Bay Area accepts requests for grants on a year-round basis, selecting for grants organizations that help build healthy and safe communities. "We have no position relative to the San Francisco Council of Boy Scouts of America because we have no application for a grant from that organization pending at this time. If such an application is received, the request for funding would be addressed in a timely manner. "The door is open." Ruppanner said individual United Way donors had pledged $344,457 to the Bay Area councils this year, $75,334 of it to the San Francisco council. Scouts to seek funding Sources said the Scouts were preparing a funding request for the United Way and that early indications were that it would be favorably received. United Way board member David Wharton, who is gay, said Barnes "represents a different attitude about scouting and participation in scouting by gay and lesbian participants and program leaders. How far he's been able to spread this attitude up the chain of command isn't clear. "We're desirous of having all agencies in the Bay Area conform with our non-discrimination policy. Given his overture to us, we have talked with him but it hasn't been taken any further than discussions. "This is a promising leadership initiative by Mr. Barnes. And we are interested in rebuilding the bridge to the Boy Scouts. This is promising revisitation of a tough issue. Where it goes is unknown."
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