Butler County Scout Troop 19 was commended in Bob Ingoldsby's July 1 letter ("Troop 19 Scouts improve trail") as but one example of the good the Boy Scouts do across the commonwealth. Yet, they continue to be targeted and accused of discrimination because they ban openly homosexual leaders. Even though the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that, as a private organization, the Boy Scouts could limit its membership and leadership.

The City of Philadelphia is poised to evict the Cradle of Liberty Scout Council from the headquarters they built, have maintained and occupied, previously with the city's blessing, since 1928.

Why the change of heart? In 1983 Philadelphia changed the city's Fair Practices Ordinance to include "sexual orientation," then in 2002 "gender identity" was added -- meaning that a man who believes he is a woman must be permitted to come to work dressed as such.

Pro-family groups such as the American Family Association of Pennsylvania have warned that the addition of such language will impact the Boy Scouts.

In June, Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, introduced a bill that would add "actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity" to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act which deals with employment, housing and public accommodation. Yet another attempt by homosexual activists and their allies to hijack the civil rights movement! There aren't statistics to prove homosexuals are losing their jobs or being thrown out of their apartments.

If such a bill becomes law, what will it mean to Butler County Troop 19 and all the other Scout troops in Pennsylvania?

DIANE GRAMLEY

President,

American Family Association of Pennsylvania