Family Research Council Drops UPS Over Discrimination Against Boy Scouts

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Dec 11, 2012, 04:19 ET

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Family Research Council (FRC) announced today that it would cease using United Parcel Service (UPS) as its primary package distributor in the wake of UPS's decision to cease funding the Boy Scouts of America because of the Scouts' longstanding policy of not accepting openly homosexual Scout leaders or members.

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In November, FRC sent a letter to UPS urging them to reconsider and reverse their new policy.

FRC President Tony Perkins made the following comments about the change:

"The Boy Scouts of America has for decades been a force for moral integrity and leadership in the United States. Sadly, their principled stances have marked them as a target for ridicule and harassment by organizations that disagree with their convictions. Although as recently as September UPS had said they would not discriminate against the Scouts, they recently reversed themselves following an online petition campaign by homosexual activists.

"I spoke with UPS executives about their recent change. But they showed no willingness to back down on bullying non-profits into abandoning their values. Because of this, FRC will cease using UPS for our shipping needs.

"The mission of the Boy Scouts is 'to instill values in young people' and 'prepare them to make ethical choices,' and the Scout's oath includes a pledge 'to do my duty to God' and keep himself 'morally straight.' It is entirely reasonable and not at all unusual for those passages to be interpreted as requiring abstinence from homosexual conduct. UPS should not try to impose the competing values of the sexual revolution upon the Boy Scouts.

"The Scouts' policy is also a matter of security. After hundreds of cases of child sex abuse plagued the organization, the Boy Scouts tried to create a membership criterion that reduces the risk to Scouts, and that protects the rights of their parents to be the first to discuss topics like sexual orientation with their children.

"The Scouts, unlike UPS, are about instilling character and leadership into America's boys. UPS, in the name of 'tolerance,' can't tolerate such efforts.

"UPS has the right to fund the organizations it chooses. It's unfortunate that they've chosen to ship America's next generation of leaders to the curb. FRC also has the right to do business with companies that are not hostile to traditional values; therefore, we informed UPS that we will take our business (which is equivalent to the amount they are directing away from the Boy Scouts) elsewhere."

To read FRC's letter to UPS, click here: http://www.frcblog.com/media/filer/2012/12/11/112712_letter_to_ups_boy_scouts.pdf

SOURCE Family Research Council