http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/127245/public_school_puts_gay_kidsYou don't see a lot of schools turning down grants in this economy. Certainly not public schools. But it sounds perfectly natural that the Pinellas County School Board said "thanks but no thanks" to a $55,000 donation from the Boy Scouts of America.
OK, maybe it sounds completely nuts. But this is what the Boy Scouts' storied history of discriminating against gays has done to American parents: put us between a rock and a hard place. Take the money, and a school that's supposed to protect kids -- all kids -- is throwing a bunch of them to the wolves. Don't take the money, and, well, you're a public school in the midst of a recession saying no to free money.
It's a conflict I understand all too well. In a rural area, the Boy Scouts represent one of the few outlets for young males. So when a little boy comes knocking on your door asking you to buy some BSA-labeled popcorn, you are stuck in a similar position to the Pinellas board members. Do I say yes, sign my name on a check written out to an organization that has practiced abhorrent discrimination against an entire population, and in essence put my stamp of approval on practices that fly in the face of everything I stand for? Or do I say no, with the full knowledge that most of that popcorn money is really just going to help some local Scouts defray the costs of going to visit a cool museum that their own parents might not be able to afford?
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