The City Of Brotherly Love - No, Really, We Mean It!

Philadelphia seems to be taking its moniker to heart at the expense of the Boy Scouts.

Philadelphia Gives Boy Scouts Ultimatum
City Solicitor Tells Branch to Renounce Its Ban on Gays or Lose Rent Subsidy

PHILADELPHIA -- This may be the last free Thanksgiving dinner for the Boy Scouts of Philadelphia.

Citing a local 1982 "fair practices" law, the city solicitor has given the Scouts until Dec. 3 to renounce its policy of excluding homosexuals or forfeit the grand, Beaux-Arts building it has rented from the city for $1 a year since 1928.

"While we respect the right of the Boy Scouts to prohibit participation in its activities by homosexuals," the solicitor, Romulo Diaz, said last week in an interview, "we will not subsidize that discrimination by passing on the costs to the people of Philadelphia."

Comments

[TheSpartan]

Let 'em pay full rent and it won't be a problem.

[seekeronos]

Go go Judicial Activists...

It is really sad to see the city government of Philadelphia be overcome by the Gay Agenda... IIRC, this was the same city that tried to imprison a small handful of Christians attempting to share their testimony with people during a gay pride parade for 47 years.

I really have to wonder since when Philly has become San Fransicko on the Delaware River...

Thank God that He turned the hearts of the higher courts to dismiss those charges.

The BSA isn't necessarily a church organization nor a state organization. I hope that this is resolved in their favour, but I don't think that the BSA has the lawyers or the funds to battle this out over several years in the courts. In all likelihood, they will have to find a new HQ if the lease is voided and the market rate for the rent is too exorbitant.

I pray that the Philly chapter of the BSA stands by their principles, even if it means giving up the cheap digs.

[rwilymz]

The original problem with BSA/gays came about because of a deep-pocket lawsuit against the organization around 25, 30 years ago in which a young adult leader and an older scout were having some kind of tryst -- which started when they were both scouts.

BSA's lawyers, at the requirement of their liability insurance carrier, required that for BSA to be able to secure liability insurance that they have an "official" policy against known homosexuals. Without one, they'd simply cease to exist. Can't get insurance, can't operate.

The Girl Scouts have the same deal, yet no one seems to know or care.

[TheSpartan]

How could they possibly remain at reduced rent? I thought you guys were for law and order...they are clearly operating in violation of city ordinance so they should pay full freight. If you disagree with the law that's one thing, but you want the city to violate it?

[rwilymz]

"How could they possibly remain at reduced rent?"

Contract law.

The city signed a lease with the Boy Scouts umpteen years ago, and the terms of the lease are not abrogated by other circumstances, the lease remains in force under the terms described.

Surely you're not that naive to not understand this.

I'd suggest that the 1928 agreement between the Boy Scouts and the City allowed for termination under:
1] mutual agreement;
2] unilaterally by the lessee [the Boy Scouts]
3] and that's it.

That's just a guess. Good will gestures extended to civic groups and youth organizations such as this are quite common in city governments, and the "nominal fee" is required to make the thing legal. The "$1 rental" is a give-away.

And since it was a 1928 deal, before the era of gratuitous legalese and loyyers needing to justify their existence in endless "wherebys" and "in res-es" -- in triplicate -- I would also doubt that there is a stipulation in the deal allowing for a unilateral lessor renegotiation based on changing city ordinance or economics.

In short: Fludowfia made a deal in 1928 based on the political correctness of the time, and they're trying to reneg on the deal in 2007 based on the political correctness of today.

That's cheating. But it makes a good show.