Lockheed halts Boy Scouts donations over gay rights
Source: Reuters
Lockheed halts Boy Scouts donations over gay rights
BY LISA MARIA GARZA
DALLAS Thu Dec 19, 2013 5:43pm EST
(Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp, the top U.S. defense contractor, has halted donations to the Boy Scouts of America because of the group's policies on religion and to exclude some gays from its ranks, it said on Thursday.
Lockheed's decision makes it the latest corporate sponsor to pull its donations from the Scouts, which voted to end a ban on gay scouts effective at the start of 2014, but has left in place a prohibition on gays serving as adult Scout leaders.
"While we applaud the mission of the Boy Scouts and the good things they do in our communities, their policies that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and religious affiliation conflict with Lockheed Martin policies," spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a statement.
The Boy Scouts believe that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God, the group says in its charter.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/19/us-usa-lockheed-boyscouts-idUSBRE9BI1CS20131219