CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Cook County, Ill., officials delayed their vote on an agreement with the Chicago-area Council of Boy Scouts after concerns were raised about the organization's ban on gay troop leaders. The agreement would give the organization use of a campground located in a forest preserve southwest of Chicago through 2028. It was expected to be approved Wednesday, but Cook County board president John Stroger postponed a vote on the contract after county commissioner Mike Quigley contended that the Boy Scouts' ban violates the county's human rights ordinance. Quigley also disputed the arrangement because it would close the campsite to the public. "It really strikes against two things we care about: the open use of our forest preserves and the fact that we don't feel it's appropriate to discriminate against anyone," Quigley said. Stroger sent the proposal to a committee for further discussion. "I want the world to know that as a former Boy Scout and a former vice president of the Chicago-area Boy Scouts for many years...I personally will be for this motion," Stroger said. "But I think that every commissioner has a right to make his or her own decision." The agreement would grant the Boy Scouts exclusive use of Camp Kiwanis in Willow Springs for the next 25 years. In exchange, the organization says, it will make $250,000 worth of improvements to the campground. The Boy Scouts has used the camp in the past, but a previous agreement with the county ended in 1993. Boy Scouts spokeswoman Rebecca Fields said the group intends to use the camp for weekend outings and as a day camp. While the general public would not be allowed to use the camp if the deal is approved, the Boy Scouts says it will allow others to use it when scouts are not there. "It would not be exclusively ours, and no group would be turned away," Fields said.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
George Santos's latest money-making plot? Reviving his drag persona, Kitara Ravache
April 29 2024 5:12 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedHow did the Biden administration just make health care fairer for LGBTQ+ people?
April 29 2024 1:54 PM
Candace Parker, queer WNBA legend, is retiring 'privately with the ones I love'
April 29 2024 12:42 PM
Tennessee parents beg judge not to release school shooter’s journals publicly
April 29 2024 11:58 AM
12 photos exploring the lives of Thailand’s Ladyboy community
April 29 2024 11:55 AM