My apologies for the title of this post, but I had an unexpected urge to write a headline like it was the front page of the Philly Daily News or New York Post.

My thoughts on this issue are pretty simple. The government doesn't allow (non-marriage, non-military) discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The Boy Scouts do. Therefore, the Boy Scouts should not receive government funding or subsidies.  Rent of $1 per year (vs. a market rate of $200,000) is a government subsidy.

I understand the Boy Scouts are a great organization for many kids around the world. I also understand that the Boy Scouts do a lot of good for many kids in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, I don't think either of these facts are enough to compensate for institutionalized, government-funded discrimination. In any free society, there is place for privately-funded organizations to have their own rules of membership - but when it comes to government programs, there is, and should be, a different set of rules. Along these same lines, I also don't think many religious organizations should be exempt from taxes, but that's a whole other issue altogether that deserves its own post. 

In the spirit of full disclosure, I was an Indian (Native American) Guide for a few years when I was a kid, so I've probably always had a bias against scouts.