Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1999 18:01:25 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert - August 19, 1999 August 19, 1999 The GLAADAlert is the bi-weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation NEW JERSEY BOY SCOUTS ROUND-UP Editorials: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Dismantling the "Country Club" Defense An August 7 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial lauded the decision while posing a sharp, incisive challenge to the Scouts. Since the First Amendment does permit private associations to discriminate "for a host of reasons, benign and bigoted," the Post-Gazette asked if the Scouts, which argues that it is a private organization, "really wants to assert a 'country club' defense for a policy ostracizing young men simply because they are homosexual." The editorial also effectively dismissed the notion that parents should be fearful of gay scout leaders. "Myths die hard, and it is a resilient myth that a homosexual Boy Scout leader (or teacher) must be a pedophile. Obviously, the Boy Scouts must be wary of adults - married or single, gay or straight - who engage in inappropriate conversation about sexual matters. But equating homosexuals with child molesters is an error and an injustice." The Post-Gazette is to be commended for its strong editorial voice and the depth of its argument. Contact: Mr. John R. Block and Mr. William Block, Jr., Publishers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 34 Avenue of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-1204, fax: 412-391-8452, e-mail: letter@post-gazette.com The Times of Trenton: In Praise of "Fairness and Individual Rights" In a very direct, no-nonsense editorial, The Times of Trenton on August 6 traced Dale's Scouting record and history of leadership, wondering how, in light of his exemplary history, the Scouts could have dismissed him because of his sexual orientation. Praising the ruling as "a gratifying victory for fairness and individual rights," the Times also called on the Scouts to stop its promised appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. "They should abandon their discredited discriminatory policy and safeguard the Boy Scouts' reputation as one of the nation's great civic institutions." Contact: Mr. Richard Bilotti, Publisher, The Times of Trenton, 500 Perry St., Trenton, NJ 08618-3932, fax: 609-394-2819, e-mail times@nj.com USA Today: On Acting Like a "Small, Sectarian Private Club" Another strong August 6 editorial, from USA Today, took issue with the Scouts' discriminatory policy, noting that "[f]ortunately, most similar organizations understand by now that it's wrong to invite the public in, use taxpayer-financed facilities and then claim the right to act like a small and sectarian private club." They also observed that the Scouts is one of the last national organizations to use freedom of association claims to bar minority groups from membership, adding that "[t]he argument is embarrassingly similar to that used by the white-supremacist defenders of racial segregation as a way of life in the 1950s and '60s." USA Today reminds its readers that Scout Law directs its members to "seek to understand others" and "treat others as he wants to be treated" - reminding its readership that bigotry, prejudice and discrimination have no place is this very important institution. Contact: Mr. Thomas Curley, Publisher, USA Today, 1000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22229-3901, e-mail editor@usatoday.com Wall Street Journal: A Tortured View of Character In its August 6 editorial, "Scouts' Honor," the Wall Street Journal took a resoundingly negative view of the New Jersey ruling. Arguing that gay Scout leaders are incapable of providing a good example to the young men they lead, the Journal falls back on a tired, long-disproved line of stereotypes. That Dale had been, by all accounts, an exceptional Scout and a very capable leader clearly debunks the notion that sexual orientation has anything to do with quality of character and leadership. The Journal's position on this matter seems to have less to do with addressing matters of law and more with sustaining prejudice. In the same week, however, the Journal published a column by Richard E. Sincere, Jr.: "Could the Boy Scouts Ruling Hurt Gay Rights." Taking a distinct approach to evaluating the decision, Sincere argues that, although the Scouts prejudicial policy against gay Scout members and leaders is wrong, the New Jersey high court may have dealt a setback for gay rights by further limiting a group's (or a couple's) right to private association. Please express your concerns over the tone and substance of the Journal's editorial, but also thank them for including in their coverage a different viewpoint from the lgbt community. Contact: Mr. Peter R. Kahn, Publisher, Wall Street Journal, 200 Liberty St., New York, NY 10281-1003, fax: 212-416-2658, e-mail: letter.editor@edit.wsj.com. Honolulu Star-Bulletin: Perpetuating Stereotypes and Exploiting Fears Also problematic was a superficially positive August 7 editorial by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The piece started out well, stating that, "It is gratifying to see growing acceptance of homosexual rights in the courts and elsewhere, although much remains to be done." However, toward the end of the editorial, the Star-Bulletin addressed the notion of state intrusion into private group affiliations, saying, "In this case, we're talking about parents who are fearful of leaving their children in the care of homosexual Scout leaders." The editorial concluded, "A U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the New Jersey decision would be a victory for gay rights. But would it come at the expense of parents' legitimate concerns?" By subtly playing into parents fears about pedophilia, the Star-Bulletin did its readers and our community a grave disservice. Equating gay men with child-molesters only serves to incite indefensible fear, distrust, prejudice and hatred toward our community. Contact: Mr. John Flanagan, Editor and Publisher, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 605 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96813-5129, fax: 808-523-8509, e-mail: letters@starbulletin.com Columns: Cal Thomas - Scouting, Immutability and "Good" In "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," conservative syndicated columnist Cal Thomas attacked the New Jersey decision as "flawed on legal and moral grounds," suggesting that if members of the judiciary rule counter to his notions of "good," then "their decisions become arbitrary and make a mockery of the law, which is supposed to be based on immutable standards, not cultural pressure and intimidation by special interests." Thomas' diatribe clearly shows his own inability to recognize that gay youth and men can serve their communities with distinction in the Boy Scouts. Contact: Cal Thomas, Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, fax: 213-237-3698 Robert Scheer - Short and Sweet: "The Essential Message of Bigotry" In his brief but on-the-mark August 8 column, Los Angeles Times columnist Robert Scheer lauded the New Jersey decision. "At a time when hate crimes against homosexuals are on the rise, it is dangerous nonsense for the Boy Scouts to claim they are building character while they practice bigotry," Scheer said, adding that the Scouts' exclusionary practices "reinforce the essential message of bigotry that people who are different than the majority in orientation, be it religious or sexual, are incapable of acting morally." Scheer also cited recent gun-related incidents as evidence that "heterosexual males are the major menace to public order, including that heterosexual former Scout parent in Atlanta, who so brutally killed his wife and two children along with 12 others. But that is not an argument for banning heterosexual males from Scouting." Both Scheer and the Los Angeles Times are to be commended for the publication of such forceful, eloquent arguments. Contact: Ms. Kathryn Downing, Publisher, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, fax: 213-237-7679, e-mail: letters@latimes.com Contact: Mr. Robert Scheer, Columnist, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053 Overall Coverage: Providence Journal-Bulletin: Exceptional, Integrated Coverage After the Narragansett (RI) Council of the Boy Scouts of America apologized to a youth for an inquiry as to his sexual orientation and offered him his Camp Yawgoog job back, the national Scouts contradicted the Narragansett ruling, stating that openly gay people cannot be the kind of role models the Scouts needs. This conflicting policy led to a joint statement from the local and national Scouts, clarifying that while gays can't be Scouts, it is Boy Scout policy not to ask members about sexual orientation. Through this tumultuous week, news coverage by the Providence (RI) Journal-Bulletin (by Jennifer Levitz, Lynn Arditi and Elizabeth Abbott) was exceptional. By integrating stories and viewpoints from all sides, legal research into Rhode Island Fair Employment Practices Act and relevant coverage of the New Jersey Supreme Court decision, the Journal-Bulletin's reporting represents a high standard for coverage of legal and social issues relevant to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Adding to the outstanding news coverage were three excellent columns: "Let's See Scouts Do a Good Deed: Promote Tolerance," by Journal-Bulletin political columnist M. Charles Bakst; "The Boy Scouts Are Coming Apart From the Top Down," by news columnist Bob Kerr; and "Time, Perhaps, to Add 'Tolerant' to the List of Boy Scout Values," by Tim Murphy, the Sunday Journal-Bulletin's assistant managing editor. Each column acknowledged the crucial role the Scouts serves in molding our nation's youth, and called on the organization to discard its exclusionary policy and stand up for decency, tolerance, respect and understanding. Please thank the Providence Journal-Bulletin for its outstanding coverage. Contact: Mr. Stephen Hamblett, Publisher, Providence Journal-Bulletin, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902, fax: 401-277-7346, e-mail: letters@projo.com The GLAADAlert is the bi-weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation in the media as a means of challenging homophobia and all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. 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