Current Action Alert ( sign up to receive AFA of PA Action Alerts
Education
Issues
Homosexual
Agenda
NEWS
RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 25, 2003
CONTACT: Diane Gramley 1.814.271.9078 or 1.814.437.5355
Pew President: Rebecca Rimel 215.575.4700
TRADITIONAL VALUES GROUP CONDEMNS PEW CHARITABLE TRUSTS, URGES UNITED
WAY TO HOLD FAST
(Philadelphia) - Today in separate statements a statewide traditional
values group condemned the Pew Charitable Trusts for pulling funds from
the Cradle of Liberty Boy Scout Council, the third largest Boy Scout
Council in the nation and urged the
United Way of Southeastern PA to continue its support of the Scouts.
"Withdrawing the $100,000 grant from the Cradle of Liberty
Boy Scouts
reveals that the Pew Charitable Trusts is not really concerned about
children. The
inner city children will be the ones hurt by pulling this grant and we
demand that Pew reverse their decision," Diane Gramley, director of
the
American Family Association of Pennsylvania said in response to the
decision. "The Scouts' policy to ban homosexuals is in place
to protect the
young men which have been placed in their care. The Scouts should
be
applauded, not penalized for making the right decision."
Gramley continued, "Since the U.S. Supreme Court decision to uphold
the
Scouts right to ban homosexuals from leadership positions, it appears
that
the United Way of Southeastern PA has been under intense pressure from
homosexual activists groups to drop funding. We urge the United
Way to do
what is right for the thousands of children who would be directly
affected
by any such decision and maintain their support of the Scout."
Homosexual activists celebrated last month with the announcement that
the
Cradle of Liberty Boy Scout Council had voted to go against Boy Scout of
America's (BSA) national policy and changed its non-discrimination
policy to
include "sexual orientation." Due to pressure, the
United Way of
Southeastern Pennsylvania organized talks that led to the change.
Christine
James-Brown, president of the regional United Way, admits, "We did
get some
pressure from other groups who said, 'This program (Learning for Life)
may
not discriminate, but this organization does.'"
Announcement of the Cradle of Liberty's policy change brought a response
from the BSA that included the possible revocation of the local scout
council's charter. A recent
press release listed on the BSA's
website
states that "BSA members are free to hold their own opinions, but
we ask
that they respect the values of the organization and abide by its
policies,
which they have agreed to be becoming members."
"AFA of Pennsylvania applauds the BSA for applying pressure to the
Cradle of
Liberty Council which led to a statement affirming it will carry out all
the
policies as set forth by the National Council. But in turn, we
urge the
National Council to apply the same type pressure to councils around the
country which are not 'toeing the line' and are allowing homosexuals
into
leadership positions. Case in point is the BSA's Lake Huron Area
Council
(Midland, Michigan) where a prominent attorney and president of a
statewide
homosexual activist group serves as a counselor and role model for the
council's "Learning for Life" program. Permitting this
type situation is
courting disaster," Gramley asserts.
Since men who are "exclusively homosexual" - only 2 percent of
the total
male population - are responsible for 21 percent of child molestation
cases
involving little boys, this finding by one of the nation's leading
experts
on pedophilia ( http://www.abelscreen.com/aboutasi.htm
) indicates that
exclusively homosexual men are ten times more likely per capita to
molest
little boys than are other men. (The long discredited claim by
homosexual
activists that homosexual men comprise 10 percent of the population
would
still indicate that such men were twice as likely per capita to molest
little boys.)
"The Boy Scouts' decision to ban homosexuals is the right decision
for the
safety of the young men with whom they are entrusted. But our
hopes are
that the National Council will require all its programs to enforce the
BSA's
ban on homosexuals. The Pew Charitable Trusts and the United Way
of
Southeastern PA now have a decision to make: side with an
organization that
is striving nationally to protect children from sexual molestation or
side
with those, who in many cases, argue that sexual relations with minors
under
the age of 14 that are deemed "consensual and harmless" should
be considered
as a 'gay rights issue,' and should not be prosecuted under the law.
The
choice is theirs, we hope they make the right one," concluded
Gramley.
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