The United Way of Greater Cleveland
Board of Directors unanimously approved adding sexual orientation to
its Diversity Policy at its September meeting. A decision which
could impact Boy Scouts of America funding.
Bill Kitson, president and CEO of the
United Way of Greater Cleveland, said the Boy Scouts were the only
agency not in compliance with its new policy.
“We are not telling the Boy Scouts
what to do. We will not ask the Boy Scouts to change. As a private
organization they have the right to determine who they serve and who
will serve them. We, however, have the right to fund only those
organizations that comply with our new policy,” he said.
The Boy Scouts of America recently
reaffirmed its ban on openly gay scouts and leaders.
According to Cleveland NBC affiliate
WKYC,
the Boy Scouts of America, Greater Cleveland Council received $97,251
from United Way funding this year, or about 3% of its budget.
The Cleveland chapter is not the first
to extend protections based on sexual orientation. It joins about 50
out of 1,200 United Ways.
(Related: Intel
says it won't fund Boy Scouts troops which discriminate.)