In his July 3 column ("Boy Scouts could ease city woes; leave them alone"), Santorum appears to be so anxious to defend the Boy Scouts that he has ignored the sole reason they have been asked to look for a new home here in Philadelphia. They are in violation of the law by actively discriminating against individuals based upon their sexual orientation or gender identity. It is that simple.

The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations enforces the Fair Employment Practices Act, which requires that we treat all people fairly and equally in the city of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection. We are very fortunate to live in Philadelphia, the nation's first capital, where liberty and freedom ignited the flames of revolution for which our forbearers fought and died in a war of independence.

They didn't fight to keep people enslaved, although that took another 90 years to correct for African Americans. They didn't fight to keep people from voting, which took another 60 years to resolve for women. And they didn't fight to continue the prejudice which fuels discrimination against religious, ethnic, and sexual minorities.

As we celebrate the birth of our nation every year in July, it would be wise to remember what our ancestors fought so hard to achieve. They waged a war against tyranny to secure freedom for every American. They challenged the authority of the monarchy to demand equal representation in a new form of democratic government. And they sacrificed their homes and their sacred honor to build a nation that would serve as an example to the whole world of what men and women of integrity and character could accomplish when faced with second class citizenship.

Yet that is precisely what Santorum would offer to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender residents of Philadelphia in spite of the law which forbids such discrimination. Instead of blaming the ACLU, liberal feminists, teachers unions, and radical gay activists (all mentioned by Santorum) for every social ill which challenges us in 21st-century America, we might do better to provide role models and funding to support organizations that actually create measurable results without discriminating against anyone.

The Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America, for example, is headquartered right here in Philadelphia. They are apparently looking for a new home. Therefore, I propose a novel solution to this problem. Why not give the Boy Scout's headquarters, which they have occupied rent free for the last 80 years, to the Big Brothers and Big Sisters who welcome everyone into their programs to help young people in need of positive role models, and let the Boy Scouts pay fair market rent in the location where the "BIGS" are currently located?

It only seems fair considering, the longstanding unwillingness of the Boy Scouts to open their doors to all Philadelphians. The Boy Scouts are supposed to teach young men to be "morally straight", but that does not imply that scouts must also be narrow minded and prejudicial. Is this really the lesson we want to teach our young people in Philadelphia or anywhere else for that matter? Do we want our youth to grow up to believe that discrimination and bias are perfectly OK as long as they are directed against people who are somehow different than we are?

And just to set the record straight for Rick Santorum, gay people are not the only ones who are offended by discrimination. Fair-minded people everywhere recognize the inherent dangers of actively discriminating against any group of individuals. Our whole society pays a terrible price when we allow one group to be diminished and another to be favored. Where does it end? Who will be next?

Mayor Nutter has done the right thing in demanding that the Boy Scouts should be held to the same standards as everyone else. He should be commended for acting on his deeply held principles, exhibiting courage in the face of bigotry, and for his willingness to stand against prejudice wherever it rears its ugly head.

Blaming gay people for violence, murder, rape, illegitimacy, child abuse, suicide, abortion, divorce, illiteracy, and unemployment (did I leave anything out in your laundry list of insinuation, Mr. Santorum?) may play well in right-wing political circles, but in Philadelphia we are smarter than that. We reject attempts to cloak discrimination in the vestments of popular institutions such as the Boy Scouts. For while the scouts do a great deal of laudable good in their community service, they would improve their image and support their oath of character by demanding of themselves what they claim to provide for their members; equality, fairness, and a level playing field for everyone who lives in this country of ideals, hope, and promise.