Heavy equipment manufacturer
Caterpillar Inc. has stopped its financial support of the Boy Scouts
of America (BSA).
According to the Journal
Star, the company cites the BSA's policy banning openly gay adults
from participating.
Last month, the BSA voted to end its
ban on openly gay members under the age of 18. The organization,
however, will continue to prohibit openly gay adults from
participating in the Scouts. The new policy takes effect on January
1.
Spokeswoman Rachel Potts, however, said
that the decision wasn't directly connected to the policy shift.
Potts said that the Illinois-based company decided to end funding in
the course of reviewing a request for $25,000 that came in last year
from a local scouting troop in Illinois. The Caterpillar Foundation,
the company's charitable arm, has given money in the past to local
scouting groups.
“We have inclusive policies here at
Caterpillar Inc., and the foundation abides by those,” Potts
told the AP. “We just don't feel that our two organizations
align.”
“However, if there's a change in the
Boy Scouts policies, we would certainly consider a change in the
future grants – if there was a change that aligned with what our
non-discrimination policies are.”
BSA spokesman Deron Smith said the
organization was “disappointed in this decision.”
(Related: Southern
Baptists criticize Boy Scouts' decision to allow gay scouts.)