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Organization Appealing Landmark New Jersey Ruling Sheds New Light on Nationwide Discriminatory Policy |
Lambda Senior Staff Attorney Evan Wolfson, who secured the landmark New Jersey decision on behalf of exemplary Eagle Scout and Assistant Scoutmaster James Dale, said, "The Court now has a chance to hear that scouting is about honesty, community service, self-reliance, and respect for others -- not discrimination." Wolfson added, "We are confident that, once the Justices examine the facts, they will agree with the unanimous New Jersey Supreme Court that Boy Scouts do not come together to promote bigotry and anti-gay bias. Thus, their first amendment rights are not violated by the civil rights law." Lambda will defend the landmark New Jersey Supreme Court ruling won last August in Boy Scouts of America v. James Dale, bringing nationwide attention to the discriminatory anti-gay policies of the Boy Scouts of America. The New Jersey court ruled that the BSA violated state civil rights law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The court rejected the group's first amendment defense, saying that the BSA's free speech and association rights would not be infringed by allowing gay people to be scouts because anti-gay bigotry was not the reason members joined.
With its headquarters in New York and regional offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta, Lambda is the nation's oldest and largest legal organization defending the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, and people with HIV/AIDS. (Boy Scouts of America v. James Dale, No.99-699) |
