Lambda Legal Urges City of Los Angeles to Cut Ties With Boy Scout Affiliate

(Los Angeles, February 26, 2008) — Lambda Legal has sent a strongly-worded request to Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo that the city honor its own nondiscrimination policies and cut ties with a Boy Scouts of America affiliate that currently administers youth programs for the Los Angeles Police and Fire Departments.

"Learning for Life" is a national program that provides career education for youth. While its mission statement says LFL does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or religion, it is essentially an arm of Boy Scouts of America, which clearly does.

"Only a tissue-thin layer of corporate formality, if even that, separates Learning for Life from the Boy Scouts," said Brian Chase, Senior Staff Attorney for Lambda Legal. "The organizations share offices, intermingle finances, and share directors and personnel. This is an attempt by BSA to skirt anti-discrimination policies of Los Angeles and other cities by setting up a not-so-separate corporate entity."

In 2000, BSA fought Lambda Legal all the way to the United States Supreme Court in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, and as a private organization was allowed to continue its policies barring gays, lesbians, agnostics and atheists. But Los Angeles City Code reads that anyone contracting with the city must agree "not to discriminate in his employment practices...against any employee or applicant for employment" due to religion or sexual orientation, among other bases.

The letter, delivered Tuesday, February 26, 2008, explains that any city affiliation with Learning for Life is illegal, and that the LAPD should sever all ties with the program, and to develop its cadet program in a way that rejects discrimination and is more consistent with city codes.

###

Contact: Jason Howe 213-382-7600 ext: 247; jhowe@lambdalegal.org