Film-maker Steven Spielberg has given up his role on the advisory board of the Boy Scouts of America because the organisation excludes gays.
Last summer, the US Supreme Court ruled that the organisation’s national policy of banning gay members and leaders was constitutional. And although he was not directly involved with the Scouts, Spielberg, who was a member of the group in his youth, says he felt many people assumed his place on the board meant he supported its policies – including the discriminatory element.
“It’s a real shame,” he said of the organisation’s policy towards homosexuals. “I thought the Boy Scouts stood for equal opportunity, and I have consistently spoken out publicly and privately against intolerance and discrimination based on ethnic, religious, racial and sexual orientation.”
Describing himself as being “deeply saddened” by the organisation’s stance, the E.T. director says he will be happy to reconsider a role on the advisory board “once scouting fully opens its doors to all who desire the same experiences that so fully enriched me as a young person.”
Many cities, schools and churches in the States are struggling to reconcile the youth group’s policy with their own anti-discrimation policies, and last month the Los Angeles Police Commission directed the force to seek an alternative youth programme to replace the Scouts with which it is currently involved.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
