ACLU: Give Boy Scouts the Boot

SAN DIEGO-The Boy Scouts will be hiking out of Balboa Park and FiestaIsland if the ACLU has its way.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit this weekseeking to evict the Scouts from city-owned property in the parkand on the island. They argue that the youth group can’t use publicproperty rent-free while continuing to discriminate against homosexuals.

The Boy Scouts of America, Desert Pacific Council, leases more than 15acres at the park near the San Diego Zoo for $1 a year. The 50-year lease expires in2007 and the organization is looking to renew for another 50 years. Thescouts have a similar arrangement on land for their aquatic center onFiesta Island.