Gulfport City Council
'City Divided' by HRO Ordinance, Boy Scouts Lease, Banno Says
Outgoing Council Member Barbara Banno is disappointed in the lack of a vote on the lease agreement for usage of Scout Hall for local Cub Scout groups.
For outgoing Councilor Barbara Banno, her last night on the dais Tuesday was bittersweet. Early in the meeting she was thanked for her service to Gulfport residents, but by the end, a resident's public comment left her visibly shaken on an issue close to her heart. The Gulfport City Council had just postponed a vote on whether to renew its lease with the Gulfport Lions Club, Inc for use of Scout Hall, where the club frequently hosts local Boy Scout troop meetings, in favor of a wait-and-see approach to Boy Scouts of America's upcoming decision on its anti-gay membership policy. Many residents critical of the national organization's policy say the local troops are in violation of the city's Human Rights Ordinance, which is meant to …
Greg Stemm
12:33 pm on Monday, March 11, 2013
I am a proud gay man and a proud citizen of Gulfport who worked hard to get our HRO passed. I don't believe we should be renting public facilities to an organization that blatantly discriminates against one of the protected categories in our HRO. If the local boy scout troupe is willing to sign an agreement that says that their local policy is one of non-discrimination then perhaps we could … more ›