April 22, 2015; WABC-7 (New York, NY)
In New York this week, the attorney general’s office wrote to remind the Boy Scouts of America that state and city laws prohibit hiring discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Civil Rights Bureau Chief Kristen Clarke sent the missive to Chief Scout Executive Wayne Brock after the New York City chapter recently hired Pascal Tessier, the nation’s first openly gay Eagle Scout, as a summer camp leader, in violation of the Scouts’ national policy. Board member Richard Mason said Tuesday that the chapter has notified the national office about the hire and received “no comment or feedback” about it. He said the chapter looks forward to the new summer camp leader working in the camp program this summer.
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Clarke’s letter requested any documents dated after January 1st, 2013, about the national ban on openly gay adults, along with those pertaining to its influence on hiring in New York, where there are 16 local councils.
“New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is committed to ensuring equal protection under the law for all New Yorkers, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals who live and work in New York,” Clarke wrote, “Entities that operate in or are registered to do business in the state of New York must comply with these anti-discrimination requirements.”
The Boy Scouts have not issued any comments or feedback as of this writing.—Ruth McCambridge
