FTR, I support Pascal Tessier and the NY Councils ~ it might take a "test case", but I don't think the BSA are exempt from federal non-discrimination laws ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating information in the original ~ Sooz

In Defiance Of Rules, New York Boy Scouts Hire First Openly Gay Employee
April 3, 2015 / Deborah Montesano

This is a bad week for discrimination against gays. Not only did Indiana and Arkansas have to eat their ‘religious freedom’ legislation that would permit businesses to discriminate, but the Boy Scouts are seeing the resurrection of the same issue, which they had hoped to bury.

The Greater New York Councils hired the first openly gay Eagle Scout, 18-year-old Pascal Tessier, as a summer camp leader. Richard G. Mason, a board member, said in a phone interview:


If an Eagle Scout isn’t qualified, it’s hard to imagine who would be. But Tessier has had to fight to get as far as he has. The national Boy Scouts of America (BSA) had a ban on gay members until very recently. Tessier became an activist for gay rights, standing on a street corner to protest the policy. The organization changed its rules, effective in January, 2014, to allow gay youth to participate in scouting. That same year, Tessier achieved Eagle Scout rank.

However, the BSA’s attitude toward hiring adult employees is another matter. Three months after gay youth were officially accepted into scouting’s ranks, Scoutmaster Geoff McGrath was kicked out of his leadership position in Seattle. The BSA had just learned that he was gay and was blunt about the fact that it disqualified him.

Deron Smith, spokesman for the BSA, had this to say about the New York chapter hiring Tessier:


The BSA may not have changed, but America has. In interviews with The NY Daily News, New Yorkers were supportive, from 20-year-old former scout and college student Kimathi McKay, who said:


… to 68-year-old transportation supervisor Joe Sigona, who replied:


The BSA might want to think carefully while they’re ‘looking into the matter’. Tessier is receiving legal advice from attorney David Boies, the man who fought California’s anti-gay marriage law. Plus, he’s shown that he will take a principled and public stand of his own if discrimination comes into play.

The BSA can make a move to finally get on the right side of history or they can go through what will probably be a very public effort to resist — but they might want to check in with Indiana and Arkansas to find out how well that’s likely to go.

http://reverbpress.com/news/defiance-rules-new-york-boy-scouts-hire-first-openly-gay-employee/

Does BSA get any public funding?