LAGUNA BEACH : Council to Discuss Boy Scouts’ Gay Ban

The City Council, tackling what Councilman Robert F. Gentry called one of its “most important public policy decisions,” today will reconsider a dilemma involving the city’s Police Explorer program and discrimination against gays.

At issue is how the city should respond to the Boy Scouts of America’s policy banning openly gay people from becoming members or advisers of its Explorer program.

Laguna Beach, which has a law that prohibits discrimination against gays, also has a 22-year-old Police Explorer program.

Troubled by the conflict, Police Chief Neil J. Purcell Jr. in September informed the Boy Scouts that the city will not discriminate against gays. When the charter agreement with the Boy Scouts was up for renewal in February, Purcell simply resubmitted it, once again stating the city’s position against discrimination.

Kent W. Gibbs, president of the Scouts’ Orange County Council, said then that the city essentially agreed to abide by the Boy Scouts’ rules when it filled out the charter agreement paperwork.

“To the best of our knowledge, they’re conforming to all the rules and regulations of the Boy Scouts of America and, on that basis, we granted the charter to them,” Gibbs said.

But last month, Gentry suggested that the city consider rescinding the agreement rather than associating with an organization that bans gays.

On Monday, Gentry said his feelings have not wavered.

“It’s very cut and dried for me, because we have a city-sponsored program operating where only certain people can participate because of who they are,” he said. “And we just can’t, as a city, allow this to happen. City-sponsored programs have got to be available to all residents, not just those based on some arbitrary characteristics.”

With a court case pending in San Diego County on a related matter, the city staff is recommending that the program be allowed to continue, at least for the time being.

A report from Purcell to the council says the Orange County Council’s leaders have indicated they would not “go out of their way to determine whether or not the city of Laguna Beach had any (avowed) gay members or advisers” but would revoke the charter if such a reality was brought to their attention.

The report offers a list of benefits from keeping the program in place.

“At a time when gangs, tagging crews, drugs and drinking, hate crimes, violent assaults and other activities seem to be popular with our youth due to lack of things to do,” the report says, “it seems that the abolishment of this type of positive, community-oriented program couldn’t have worse timing.”