WASHINGTON — Defense and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin is halting its donations to the Boy Scouts of America over the organization’s ban on gays serving as adult leaders after a review of the company’s philanthropy guidelines, the company said Thursday.
Lockheed Martin spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the company decided it will not support nonprofit organizations that do not align with its corporate commitment to diversity. The company did not disclose how much it has contributed to the Boy Scouts.
Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed follows UPS Inc., Merck & Co. and computer-chip maker Intel in withdrawing support for the Boy Scouts over its no-gays policy in the past two years.
In a written statement, Johndroe said Lockheed, which has facilities in several locations along the Front Range, seeks to support nonprofit groups that value diversity.
“We believe engaging with and funding an organization that openly discriminates is in conflict with our policies,” he said.
This year, the Irving, Texas-based Boy Scouts revised its policy to allow gay boys to participate in Scouting, but it maintained the ban on gay leaders — drawing criticism from both sides of the debate.
