A US federal jury has ruled Philadelphia can't evict a Boy Scouts group for refusing to admit gay people. The city has a policy that groups using its properties for free must follow its anti-discrimination laws, which include equal protection for gay men and women. AP reports the jury found the city's reason violated the local scout council's First Amendment rights. In scouts sought an injunction barring the city from evicting them, or charging rent. The judge has not yet issued a ban on the scouts being evicted, saying he hopes the scouts and Philadelphia City can work something out. He says technically the city can still terminate the lease, but for a legally permissible reason and not an organisation's views. Philadelphia is known in the US as the "city of brotherly love".
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 24th June 2010 - 2:16pm