A recent decision by the Kaua’i United Board to continue backing the Kaua’i Boy Scouts has drawn fire from local gay-rights activists. The Boy Scouts of America practices a form of discrimination by prohibiting homosexuals and atheists from becoming Scout
A recent decision by the Kaua’i United Board to continue backing the Kaua’i Boy Scouts has drawn fire from local gay-rights activists.
The Boy Scouts of America practices a form of discrimination by prohibiting homosexuals and atheists from becoming Scout leaders, a spokesman for Hawai’i’s gay and lesbian residents alleges.
By continuing to fund the Boy Scouts, the Kaua’i United Way sanctions that discrimination, critics are protesting.
“Your agency’s position is blatant discrimination,” said William E. Woods, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Education and Advocacy Foundation, in a letter to Scott Giarman, Kaua’i United Way executive director.
“Your raising money and paying for these discriminatory practices without question makes you a party and underwriter to the continued discrimination,” Woods said.
The U.S. Supreme Court nearly two years ago ruled that the Boy Scouts of America as a private organization has the right to choose who they want and do not want as leaders.
Giarman said Tuesday he has heard of no discrimination practiced by any Kaua’i agencies funded by the Kaua’i United Way, and if he did hear of such practices, the Kaua’i United Way would be concerned, would investigate such allegations, and take appropriate action if the board deemed it necessary.
“We’re doing what we believe is the right thing to do for Kaua’i, which is our only interest,” said Giarman.
Since the Mainland controversy involving the Boy Scouts’ decision to prohibit homosexuals and atheists from being Scout leaders, public response received at the Kaua’i United Way office has been running 30 to one in favor of the Kaua’i Boy Scouts, Giarman said.
“I’m for kids, period,” said Kaipo Kealalio, Kaua’i Boy Scouts executive, referring reporters seeking further comment to his supervisor, Tim Thomton, of the Aloha Council of the Boy Scouts of America in Honolulu.
Thomton said he hadn’t heard of or seen any written correspondence from the Kaua’i United Way regarding its decision last week to continue recognizing the Kaua’i Boy Scouts as a member agency, so couldn’t comment on the matter for the purposes of this story.
Giarman said just because the board voted to continue to recognize the Kaua’i Boy Scouts as a member agency doesn’t necessarily mean the organization will continue receiving Kaua’i United Way funds. An allocation committee of the board makes those decisions.
For the current fiscal year, the Kaua’i Boy Scouts received $40,000 in Kaua’i United Way funding, more than any of the 20 other member agencies of the Kaua’i United Way.
In Hawai’i, no United Way organization has pulled funding from the Boy Scouts, though on the Mainland some Boy Scouts organizations have lost local United Way or similar funding because of the national organization’s stance against allowing homosexuals to be Scout leaders and the attending controversy that stance created, Giarman said.
On Kaua’i, funding amounts and participating agencies generally change every year, with the deadline for agency applications for funding being today, Wednesday, March 13, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2002, Giarman explained.
The Kaua’i United Way raised about $500,000 last fall to help fund nonprofit organizations offering various rehabilitation, emergency services, youth programs, and other programs on the island, for fiscal year 2002-03.
About two-thirds of the money raised comes from voluntary payroll deductions from paychecks of Kaua’i workers, around 15 percent from corporations, 10 percent from foundations, and the rest from special events like the recent Kaua’i United Way golf tournament, said Giarman.
If people have concerns about alleged discriminatory practices of the Boy Scouts in other locales, they are free to designate specific agencies for their contributions, he added.
Woods’ response was prompted by a letter from Giarman stating the Kaua’i United Way board and special committee’s position regarding its decision to continue recognizing the Boy Scouts on Kaua’i as a Kaua’i United Way member agency.
The board approved this special committee statement last week:
“Kaua’i United Way values the dignity and worth of all people, and works on behalf of the broadest possible constituency, including people from a range of backgrounds and points of view.
“Kaua’i United Way implements its philosophy of non-discrimination by maintaining a network of charities that embrace special considerations and community needs.
“Each individual participating agency has developed their own mission statement. Kaua’i United Way will continue to consider the Kaua’i District Boy Scouts as a participating agency.”
The Kaua’i United Way board formed a special committee to study issues and formulate the above response after the Boy Scouts of America said it would not allow homosexuals to serve as Scout leaders.
Woods and Kapa’a resident and gay advocate Martin Rice approached the Kaua’i United Way with their concerns, and expressed them before the Kaua’i United Way board, Giarman said.
“We took these concerns very seriously,” Giarman said, and the board appointed the special committee and approved of the position statement as quoted above.
Earlier this week, the Kaua’i Coalition to End Discrimination vowed to reorganize and continue its efforts to urge Kauaians and the Kaua’i United Way to stop funding the activities of the Kaua’i Boy Scouts.
The Boy Scouts of America last month reaffirmed its policy that homosexuals cannot serve as Scout leaders, a position upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court and one that has continued to make the agency a target for homosexual advocates.
The Kaua’i United Way decision came as a surprise to Rice, who said “The board of directors of the Kaua’i United Way have proven themselves to be no different than the Ku Klux Klan, rewarding heterosexual supremacism, sexism and extremely narrow religious views with continued funding and support.”
The Boy Scouts last month also reaffirmed its position of not allowing avowed atheists to be Scout leaders.
The Kaua’i Coalition to End Discrimination produced a video that was airing on Ho’ike Community Television, urging people to put pressure on the Kaua’i United Way to “de-fund” the Kaua’i Boy Scouts while encouraging Kauaians wishing to continue making donations to Kaua’i United Way to designate them for specific Kaua’i United Way member agencies other than the Boy Scouts.
The video was pulled by the coalition after getting assurances that the Kaua’i United Way was working to formulate a position on the controversial stance of the Boy Scouts, Rice said.
The Kaua’i United Way’s decision is especially shocking, Rice continued, in light of the pulling of Boy Scout funding by United Way agencies in other localities.
“Kaua’i United Way is clearly an agent for discriminatory practices,” said Woods. “How sad.”
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
