State
Rep.
Earl
Ehrhart,
who
has
twice
sponsored
legislation
preempting
the
city
of
Atlanta
from
not
doing
business
with
private
companies
that
discriminate
against
gay
men
and
lesbians,
is
threatening
to
end
the
state’s
business
with
Bank
of
America
because
the
Republican
lawmaker
said
it
discriminates
against
the
Boy
Scouts
of
America.
In
April,
the
Bank
of
America
Charitable
Foundation
informed
the
Alapaha
Area
Council
Boys
Scouts
chapter
in
south
Georgia
that
the
bank
would
no
longer
support
the
troop
because
it
“cannot
provide
funding
to
any
organization
that
practices
discrimination
on
the
basis
of
race,
religion,
color,
sex,
sexual
orientation,
age,
national
origin,
ancestry,
citizenship,
or
veteran
or
disability
status.”
The
national
policy
of
the
Boys
Scouts
of
America
prohibits
openly
gay
men
and
atheists
from
serving
as
scoutmasters.
Bank
of
America
Charitable
Foundation
officials
told
the
south
Georgia
chapter
that
its
funding
application
may
be
reconsidered
if
it
was
to
“depart
from
the
current
discriminatory
practices
of
the
national
organization.”
Ehrhart
(R-Powder
Springs)
and
state
Sen.
John
Wiles
(R-Kennesaw)
responded
by
promising
to
introduce
legislation
next
year
that
would
allow
the
state
not
to
do
business
with
Bank
of
America
and
other
companies
that
legislators
believe
discriminate.
“I
don’t
think
the
citizens
of
Georgia
would
want
their
tax
dollars
going
to
a
business
that
discriminates
against
the
Boy
Scouts
of
America,”
said
Wiles,
who
voted
to
support
Ehrhart’s
previous
legislation
to
negate
Atlanta’s
Equal
Benefits
ordinance,
which
required
city
contractors
to
provide
the
same
benefits
to
gay
couples
as
married
couples.
Ehrhart
did
not
respond
to
interview
requests
by
press
time,
and
Bank
of
America
spokesperson
Alex
Liftman
declined
comment
on
any
possible
legislation.
The
Bank
of
America
Charitable
Foundation
implemented
its
non-discrimination
policy
Jan.
1,
2006,
after
Bank
of
America
merged
with
FleetBoston
Financial,
Liftman
said.
Other
corporations
and
charities
have
also
severed
ties
with
the
Boy
Scouts
because
of
the
group’s
anti-gay
policies,
including
several
chapters
of
United
Way.
However,
the
United
Way
of
Metropolitan
Atlanta
continues
funding
the
Boy
Scouts,
including
donating
more
than
$1.1
million
to
three
local
chapters
last
year.
“The
volunteers
who
lead
United
Way
have
elected
to
continue
supporting
Boy
Scout
programs,
placing
the
needs
of
local
youth
in
our
13-county
region
above
any
other
considerations,”
according
to
a
statement
from
the
United
Way
of
Metro
Atlanta.
The
United
Way
of
Metro
Atlanta
requires
grant
recipients
to
agree
not
to
discriminate
in
“opportunity
for
participation
in
programs,
policy
formulation,
and
staff
employment,”
but
the
non-discrimination
policy
does
not
include
sexual
orientation.
The
United
Way
also
donates
to
several
local
HIV/AIDS
and
gay
organizations,
including
AID
Atlanta,
AIDS
Survival
Project,
Positive
Impact,
Jerusalem
House,
Project
Open
Hand
and
YouthPride.
YouthPride
saw
the
size
of
its
grant
increase
about
30
percent
from
last
year,
going
from
$29,000
to
$41,782.
While
it
objects
to
the
Boy
Scouts’
ban
on
gay
scoutmasters,
YouthPride
Executive
Director
Edward
Gray
said
the
organization
isn’t
troubled
by
the
United
Way’s
continued
support
of
the
scouts.
“The
United
Way
is
an
attempt
to
bring
together
300,000
donors
in
the
metro
Atlanta
area
to
find
a
‘united
way’
—
but
we
can’t
agree
on
everything,”
Gray
said.
