Area Boy Scout council clears way for gay scoutmasters

The Boy Scouts Cradle of Liberty Council, which two years ago vacated its headquarters in Center City as part of a settlement of a dispute with the city over its policy toward gay people, announced Friday that it opposes discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The policy change means gays can serve as scoutmasters, be scouts, or work for Cradle of Liberty, which represents 15,000 scouts in Delaware and Montgomery Counties and Philadelphia.

Jim Papada, Cradle of Liberty board president, said in a statement that the move was "the right thing to do" and that the group valued diversity.

"We are proud that our council welcomes any person of good will desiring to assist in achieving our mission to advance the values of our Scout Oath and Scout Law, whether a youth member, adult member, or employee," he said.

Tom Ferrari, 33, assistant scoutmaster of Troop 48 in Berlin, said he applauded the council's decision. Ferrari previously protested the national organization's ban on gays by turning in his own Eagle Scout medal and badge.

He said he hoped the decision would contribute to national changes.

"I think it's a step," he added. "If more and more councils keep going, national will have to look at it sooner or later."

Thomas W. Ude Jr., legal and public policy director of the Mazzoni Center for LGBT Health and Well-Being in Center City, said the council's decision was a long time coming.

"This is a welcome change that reflects the Cradle of Liberty Council's recognition of what advocates of changing the policy have been saying for years," Ude said. "It's entirely consistent for someone to be openly gay and live consistently with the Scout Code of Honor."

The national organization has had a long-standing ban on gay scoutmasters and did not permit gay scouts until early 2014. The national organization's policies led to Cradle of Liberty's having to leave the Beaux Arts building at 22d and Winter Streets that had been its headquarters since 1928. For 85 years, the council had paid just $1 in annual rent to use the property.

Problems began when Mayor John F. Street's administration challenged the council's right to the city-owned property in 2003, saying Cradle of Liberty violated the city's 1982 Fair Practices Ordinance, which bans discrimination against gays.

In 2008, after the council was given a choice between leaving its headquarters or paying full rent, it sued the city.

A jury sided with the council in 2010 and forced the city to pay more than $1 million of the council's legal fees. After failed compromises and appeals, the sides reached an agreement in 2013, and Cradle of Liberty vacated its headquarters while the city promised to pay $825,000 for improvements the Boy Scouts had made to the building. The council is now based in Wayne.

Romulo L. Diaz Jr., who as city solicitor during the Street administration led the efforts against Cradle of Liberty, declined to comment Friday.

Philadelphia District Attorney's Office spokesman Cameron Kline, who in 2012 made headlines by returning his Eagle Scout badge and medal in protest, also declined to comment. His new job, he said, prevents him from making personal statements.

Cradle of Liberty's dispute with the city continued into Mayor Nutter's administration.

Nutter said in 2008 that he found it "astounding" that the council would "have the audacity" to sue the city.

Nutter spokesman Mark McDonald said the administration supported the council's decision.

"It sets a policy that comports with the city's and this administration's view of pretty strong opposition to discrimination," McDonald said Friday. "I think Philadelphians don't want to see situations where discrimination is occurring."

Cradle of Liberty's announcement comes less than a month after Robert Gates, president of the Boy Scouts of America, called for change, saying the ban on gay adults was unsustainable.

The Boy Scouts of America's executive board is expected to take up Gates' proposal in October, according to spokesman Deron Smith.