Discrimination Will Effect Your Status
The Supreme Court has clearly stated that an organization cannot ignore discrimination laws if it accepts public funding, which bans said discrimination. While organizations have the right under the first amendment to set their membership rules, the Court has also ruled that a government cannot pick and choose whom must abide by discrimination rules and receive its funds or in kind support. The support has ranged from the use of buildings to receiving grants.
The most visibly effected organization in the practice of discrimination and the use of government support has been the Boy Scouts.
On the scouting web site http://www.scouting.org/nav/enter.jsp?s=mc&c=fs is the mission statement: “The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.”
Scout Oath
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, and morally straight.
Scout Law
A Scout is:
Trustworthy
Loyal
Helpful
Friendly
Courteous
Kind
Obedient
Cheerful
Thrifty
Brave
Clean
Reverent
The scout’s message of preparing young people to make ethical and moral choices is delivered through individual adults. These adults include individuals who have been divorced, battered their wives, have substance abuse problems, abuse their children, etc. The leadership of the Scouts who are focused on attacking gays as morally wrong while continuing to not assess an adult on other criteria that directly effect the scout’s well being is why bad things happen.
History has shown that those who attack and create a scapegoat are most likely hiding their own personal shortcomings. Organizations who wish to discriminate against either an employee or a volunteer need to be prepared to show specifically what harm the specific individual has caused. You cannot discriminate on an assumption.
