Taking Sides on Anti-Gay Issue

Background: Earlier this year, three San Francisco companies cut off funding to local Boy Scout councils because of Scout policies barring homosexuals and atheists. In response, several Christian groups and dozens of Congressmen called for a boycott of those firms.

In August, one of the companies--BankAmerica Corp.--abruptly reversed itself and restored Scout contributions. BofA then found itself facing another boycott--this time by gays.

Update: Last week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 7-3 to withdraw $6 million in city deposits from the bank. But Mayor Frank Jordan vetoed the resolution, which would have cost the city $30,000 in bank penalties, calling it “misdirected.” BofA, he said, “has shown itself to be an outstanding corporate citizen that has a record of major gift-giving, including to gay- and lesbian-interest groups.”

Jordan promised to sign legislation supporting boycotts of Colorado for its anti-homosexual stance, but that wasn’t enough to mollify backers of the BofA resolution. Supervisor Roberta Achtenberg, who authored the BofA boycott bill, labeled Jordan’s action “condescending and outrageous.”

An override of the veto is possible, but only if anti-BofA supervisors can round up an eighth vote by Jan. 4.