Subject: REV. TROY PERRY DISAPPOINTED IN BOY SCOUTS RULING
From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 17:36:48 EDT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Maaza Mengiste
Communications Director, UFMCC
(310) 360-8640, Ext. 226 
[email-masked]
http://www.ufmcc.com 

REV. TROY PERRY DISAPPOINTED IN BOY SCOUTS RULING
West Hollywood, CA - June 28, 2000 -- In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court 
ruled today that forcing the Boy Scouts to accept gay troop leaders would 
violate the Boy Scouts' rights of free expression and free association under 
the Constitution's First Amendment.  

The ruling reversed a New Jersey Supreme Court decision that the Scouts 
wrongly ousted assistant scoutmaster James Dale when the organization learned 
he is gay.  Dale was 19 when, in 1990, he was identified in a newspaper 
article as co-president of a campus lesbian and gay student group at Rutgers 
University. The Boy Scouts revoked his registration as an adult leader, 
telling him the organization does not allow openly gay members.  Dale sued 
and the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in his favor, saying his expulsion was 
based "on little more than prejudice."

Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, writing for the Court, said, "The Boy 
Scouts asserts that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the values it 
seeks to instill."  Rehnquist said the court was not making any judgement on 
"whether the Boy Scouts' teachings with respect to homosexual conduct are 
right or wrong."

Rev. Troy D. Perry, Founder and Moderator of the Universal Fellowship of 
Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC), expressed his disappointed in the 
ruling, "I believe that this decision by the Supreme Court upholds the Boy 
Scouts' homophobia.  It is nothing more than a ruling that supports 
irrational fear."

UFMCC is an inclusive worldwide fellowship of Christian congregations with a 
special outreach to the world's gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered 
communities. Since its founding in 1968, UFMCC has grown into a denomination 
of approximately 45,000 members in 300 churches in 18 countries.

Rev. Perry adds, "I am very disappointed in the Supreme Court's decision.  
This ruling advocates the prejudices that UFMCC and other gay rights 
organizations have been fighting for years.  Though we all may be 
disappointed, let us refuse to be discouraged. Instead, pray with me that 
this decision will highlight to the rest of America the injustices that the 
LGBT community still has to overcome. We must continue to fight, but I 
believe that as God's children, we will be victorious one day soon."

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