Walt Disney World, in Florida, has decided to withdraw its support from the Boy Scouts of America because of its policy banning gay leaders.
The company announced it would end its local support of the BSA’s Central Florida Council starting in 2015, according to Scouts for Equality.
The move comes after the national scouting organisation said it would accept openly gay scouts, but would maintain a ban on gay adult leaders.
“We’re never happy to see Scouting suffer as a result of the BSA’s anti-gay policy, but Disney made the right decision to withhold support until Scouting is fully inclusive,†Scouts for Equality co-founder, Zach Wahls, said in a news release.
“Scouts for Equality will continue to advocate for a fully inclusive membership policy, to help build a stronger Scouting community that is eligible for the support of corporate America.â€
Disney does not give money directly to the national organisation or local BSA councils, but its VoluntEARS programme allows employees to do volunteer work in exchange for cash donations to their chosen charities.
According to Disney's charitable giving guidelines, groups become ineligible to receive Disney funding if they "discriminate in the provision of services unlawfully or in a manner inconsistent with Disney's policies on the basis of race, religion, colour, sex, national origin, age, marital status, mental or physical ability, or sexual orientation".
In an e-mail to local members, Central Florida Council Board President Robert Utsey wrote: “We recognize that many Scout units have received financial support over the last several years from this grant opportunity and are sad to see it go.
“The National BSA Council has reached out to [Walt Disney World] to try to resolve the situation, however, according to WDW, their views do not currently align with the BSA and they are choosing to discontinue this level of support.â€
BSA spokesman Deron Smith said: “We believe every child deserves the opportunity to be a part of the Scouting experience and we are disappointed in this decision because it will impact our ability to serve kids.â€
Scouts for Equality said that seven major corporate sponsors of the BSA have ended their partnerships since the group was set up in 2012.
These sponsors include Lockheed Martin, Caterpillar, Major League Soccer, Merck, Intel, UPS and now Walt Disney World.
