Lambda Legal urges LA to cut ties with Learning for Life

[skeptic 1017]

Merlyn; obviously you have no idea how seriously strapped almost every community government is in California. And, sorry, LL specifically raises money for "legal" issues and suits for their "small" segment of the society. They just received a donation of over 1 million dollars a year for 8 years from one donor. And, there are a great many similar donors to LL and others that bring these types of action. Every community challenged by LL, ACLU, and other similar "legal" entities must defend themselves with taxpayer money.

 

I continue to wonder why you never answer the actual question or challenge in most cases. Perhaps it has something to do with not having any answer that makes sense.

 

LGBT individuals, in my opinion, should be given reasonable and legitimate protections and have their rights upheld. But they want a license to do whatever they choose, even at the expense of the majority. Say that is not true, but if you do, then you are blind.

[Merlyn_LeRoy 72]

skeptic, the situation here is that LL is telling LA to obey its own city code. Got a problem with that? Your snide question on who else LL helps besides gays and lesbians I ignored, because those kinds of snide questions deserve to be ignored.

 

But what kind of problem do you have with:

1) LA obeying their own city code

2) the city code requires nondiscrimination on the basis of religion, sexual orientation, etc in employment on the part of contractees with the city for services

 

Both of the above are eminently reasonable in my opinion. You've offered no argument why either of these should be ignored in order to not inconvenience your discriminatory private club.

 

Now, you can continue to badmouth LL without addressing their key argument, which is simply that LA needs to follow their own city codes, but that's no basis for a legal argument, nor much of an argument for this forum. You don't like Lambda Legal? Fine. What's wrong with their position here? Criticize THAT.

[evmori 11]

And what's gonna happen if they don't sever their ties with the BSA?

[Merlyn_LeRoy 72]

Lambda Legal is likely to file suit to force the city to follow its own laws.

[packsaddle 753]

The no-cost solution is for LA to conform to their own code and sever the ties. If LA is funding any part of the L4L program then they'll save those taxpayer $$ as well. What's the downside?

[OldGreyEagle 5]

The youth, and by that I mean all the youth, Straight, Gay, Bi, Atheist et al lose the programs administered by L4L.

 

Does LL have an organization in mind to replace L4L?

[evmori 11]

The $$$ savings would be minimal and there would be youth who lose yet another probram because the few want to control the many.

[Merlyn_LeRoy 72]

It seems to me that the refrain "start your own group, leave the Boy Scouts alone" has been heard in this forum before; LA has the resources to do just that, and jettison the Boy Scouts, in order to disassociate the city from the BSA's discrimination. Be careful what you wish for.

[packsaddle 753]

OGE, Then either another program that is owned by a non-discriminatory organization must take the lead (perhaps through 4-H or something like that) or else LA must change its code to allow contracts with discriminatory organizations. In this area I'm fairly certain that 4-H would jump at the chance to take this lead over from BSA.

But regardless, if LA continues to break the law in this manner, then it seems LL will have grounds for a suit.

 

Ed, I view this as the few helping to open discriminatory doors to everyone and while L4L is open, BSA isn't. I could actually view the existence of L4L as BSA's own way to crack the door (the camel's nose metaphor comes to mind here). BSA set up this situation by 1) fighting hard to establish their legal status as a private, discriminatory religious organization, and 2) also having L4L as a non-discriminatory branch. It is an irony, although not that tasty.

[OldGreyEagle 5]

I would have more respect for LL if they had an organization in hand to take over the L4L programs so the youth are not effected. I would also have more respect for LL if they exhorted all Gay, Lesbian and Bisexuals to forsake getting any aid from Catholic Charities or Jewish Charities or Muslim Charities or any other Faith based discriminatory organization.

 

I think I have a record for saying that I oppose the gay ban on scouting and that the choice of leaders should be in the sole

determination of the CO (and the CO is solely liable for leaders behavior)but I guess we all have our lines, incongrous to others that they are, and this is mine

[Merlyn_LeRoy 72]

OGE, it makes no sense to wish LL also have a program ready to replace L4L; does L4L fight for civil rights for gays? No? Does the BSA? Ha!

[CalicoPenn 729]

This shouldn't really be a surprise to those of us who have been following this issue from the beginning. Learning from Life was "spun off" from the BSA as a result of Dale, specifically because the BSA knew that they would have issues down the road based on non-discrimination in public schools and public entities if they didn't Exploring was placed in Learning for Life to protect Police, Fire and School sponsored Explorer Posts.

 

When the BSA did this, many of us asked how long it would take before there was a challenge to Learning for Life as the consensus seemed to be at the the time that it was a pretty transparent ploy by the BSA.

 

Looks like that wandering cow has come back to the barn, as expected.

 

Calico

[evmori 11]

It really make no difference! The ones who lose is the kids. And ya can spout all ya want about another group picking up the slack, but it won't happen. Wanna know why? Lawsuits like these.

 

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10

[OldGreyEagle 5]

Learning 4 Life was set up to be non-discriminatory, and it must be set up pretty well as they administer many grants and programs that the BSA can not.

 

But now that is not good enough

[Merlyn_LeRoy 72]

Ed, there IS no lawsuit, and if there is one, it would be against the city of LA for not following their own laws, not L4L.