A new measure introduced in the California Senate would drop the tax-exempt status for the Boy Scouts and other organizations that ban LGBT members.
Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) introduced SB323, or the Youth Equality Act, on Tuesday. “I thought it was necessary for California to make sure we don’t condone the discriminating practices of youth groups like the Boy Scouts of America,” Lara said. “We’ve given the Boy Scouts ample time, and they’ve chosen not to address this issue.”
Sen. Lara says he was inspired to introduce the bill by Ryan Andresen, a California scout who was denied the rank of Eagle Scout because he’s openly gay. “Ryan’s case was paramount in the decision of the introduction of this bill.”
The measure, which requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to pass, would have no effect on the Boy Scouts exemption from federal taxes or taxes to the state of Texas, where the organization is headquartered.
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bmwblonde
Very nice token gesture. However, on the issue of Federally tax-exempt organizations, I think it’s HIGH time that so-called “religious” organizations which spend millions (perhaps billions)lobbying before Congress, influencing political campaigns, and the like, are forced to either quit doing THAT or give up their tax-exempt status (which status prohibits exactly such activities). OK, then you can BE a “religion” which attracts fear-based “haters for Jesus” or whatever but you can NOT get out of paying taxes and then using your tax-subsidized money to try to rig the political deck so as to inflict your psychoses on all the rest of us.
However, just as the banks were “too big to fail,” the religions are likely already far “too ensconced” and too successful at their brainwashing and political-threat engines, to ever be actually held accountable to the law.
This country is really whacked (I’ve watched it for 65 years). Just ask any educated Western European –they think our once reasonable and humane country has become a bible-thumping lunatic asylum! And, it has.