Merck Severs Boy Scouts Funding Over Anti-Gay Policy

The list of major corporations and/or their affiliated charitable foundations that are walking away from the Boy Scouts of America because of the organization's anti-gay policies continues to grow.  The latest addition to the list is the Merck Foundation which announced in a letter that it was suspending all funding to the Boy Scouts until the ban on gay scouts and scout leaders is lifted.   I find it amazing how the leadership of the Scouts would rather see funding evaporate and boys deprived of opportunities rather than let go of the institution's anti-gay bigotry.  Huffington Post looks at this development.  Here are highlights:

 
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) have lost yet another corporate sponsor angered by the organization's stance on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.  Following in the footsteps of Intel and UPS, the Merck Foundation announced it would suspend all funding to the Boy Scouts until the ban on gay scouts and scout leaders is lifted. 

The Merck Foundation's Brian Grill penned a letter outlining the decision, which reads in part:

"The Merck Foundation believes that it is critical to honor and support a foundational policy of diversity and inclusion in all funding decisions. Recently, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) restated its policy that excludes members on the basis of sexual orientation. The BSA’s policy of exclusion directly conflicts with the Merck Foundation’s giving guidelines.We know that many of you have personally contributed to the BSA and that this decision may be upsetting to some of you. However, we cannot continue to provide support to an organization with a policy that is contrary to one of our core beliefs. We remain ready and willing to re-consider our funding position in the event that the BSA were to revise its policy."

A statement on the New Jersey-based pharmaceutical giant's website said officials would consider funding BSA again "when the organization's inclusion criteria has been expanded."

In July, BSA officials reaffirmed their policy of excluding gays from participating as scouts or troop leaders, citing support from parents as a key incentive. "The vast majority of the parents of youth we serve value their right to address issues of same-sex orientation within their family, with spiritual advisers and at the appropriate time and in the right setting," the Scouts' chief executive Bob Mazzuca told the Associated Press. "We fully understand that no single policy will accommodate the many diverse views among our membership or society."

Stated more succinctly, the BSA leadership would rather kiss the asses of bigots rather than put the best interest of countless boys first. 

UPS Dumps Boy Scouts Over Anti-Gay Policy

The official anti-gay bigotry of the Boy Scouts of America continues to run up a high price as UPS joins the major companies which have ceased their financial support to the BSA.  Part of me feels sadness for the boys and youth who may lose out as a result, but the situation could easily be corrected: delete religious based bigotry from BSA policy.  Just this weekend I passed a table at a shopping center where a pack was fundraising and had to tell the boys and mother in charge that I simply could not make a contribution because of the BSA policy against gays.  It's bigoted adults within the BSA who are harming the boys and youths they claim to support.  Here are excerpts from Huffington Post on UPS's decision to drop the BSA:

More bad news for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), as a major donor has announced plans to sever funding to the organization on account of a controversial anti-gay policy.

The United Parcel Service (UPS), Inc. will soon adopt a non-discrimination policy that disqualifies the BSA from future funding, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) reports. UPS follows the Intel Foundation in withdrawing corporate sponsorship from the BSA, GLAAD officials note in an email statement.

"UPS and The UPS Foundation do not discriminate against any person or organization with regard to categories protected by applicable law, as well as other categories protected by UPS and The UPS Foundation in our own policies," UPS officials note on the company's website. "These include, but are not limited to race, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, pregnancy, age and religion."

In July, BSA reaffirmed its policy of excluding gays from participating as scouts or troop leaders, citing support from parents as a key incentive. "The vast majority of the parents of youth we serve value their right to address issues of same-sex orientation within their family, with spiritual advisers and at the appropriate time and in the right setting," the Scouts' chief executive Bob Mazzuca told the Associated Press. 

One can only hope that the day will come when the leaders of the BSA believe in supporting all boys and youths, both gay and straight.

Latest UPS Updated

Since posting previously about UPS's domestic partner benefits in New Jersey, Lynnette McIntire at UPS has kept me updated on developments. Here is her latest e-mail to me:

Several weeks ago, you expressed interest in UPS’s stance on same-sex benefits. There’s an update on the situation that I thought you might want to know about. After consulting with state officials and others, we have determined that we can now legally offer same-sex benefits to our Teamster union employees in N.J. This extends the benefits we already offer our management and administrative employees there. Attached is a press release announcing this development.

http://pressroom.ups.com/pressreleases/current/0,1088,4913,00.html

Lynnette McIntire

UPS Public Relations

UPS Update

Here's UPS's response to my post. I stand corrected.

First, UPS does provide benefits to domestic partners. As a matter of corporate policy, UPS currently offers same sex benefits to all non-union employees -- management as well as administrative workers. This includes all such employees in NJ, even though the state has failed to recognize gay partner as married spouses. Beyond health care, UPS also offers benefits such as medical leave, pension rights, funeral leave and other that are beyond what's required.

In the case of drivers, the situation is different because those workers are part of a union. Any changes have to be part of acollective bargaining process. Or it violates the NLRB regulations. The current contract expires in 2008.

Absent a law that specifically categorizes same sex partners as married spouses such as in Mass., UPS cannot unilaterally change a union contract to offer same sex benefits.

UPS has already brought this up with the union for their consideration. And UPS was successful in getting UPS Pilots to agree to same sex benefits during its last contract talks.Hopefully the same will happen with the Teamsters.

Lynnette McIntire, UPS PR

UPS denies gay partner benefits

I have been contemplating the service my firm uses for overnight delivery services. It appears that UPS just took itself off of the list of possible replacement carriers.

A company that provides health care coverage to married gay couples in Massachusetts has denied the same benefits to a couple who entered a civil union in New Jersey. United Parcel Service's decision to deny coverage to a Toms River couple boils down to a single word: New Jersey law does not call them "spouses."

"We were supposed to be treated equally. We should be treated equally," said Heather Aurand, who was denied health care coverage by UPS, which employs Aurand's civil union partner, Gabriael "Nickie" Brazier. In its letter denying coverage, UPS said it does provide health benefits to its employees' spouses, including spouses of the same sex who are married in Massachusetts. But it said New Jersey's decision to recognize same-sex relationships as civil unions rather than marriages tied its hands.

UPS's explanation is pretty lame inasmuch as even here in Virginia - hardly a gay friendly state, a number of corporations provided gays with domestic partnership benefits. Sounds to me like UPS is merely trying to save money. See the full story at: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-11/118386914994430.xml&coll=1&thispage=1