Briefing schedule suspended in Scouts case
A briefing schedule in the eviction dispute involving a local Boy Scouts of America council has been suspended while the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit decides whether the council can file an expanded brief in the case.
For the past several years, the city has been trying to evict the BSA Cradle of Liberty Council from a city-owned building on 22nd Street near the Ben Franklin Parkway because Cradle won’t accept gays, nor will it pay fair-market rent.
In June 2010, a federal jury ruled the city’s eviction attempt violated Cradle’s constitutional right to exclude gays, but the city is appealing in the Third Circuit.
Cradle was supposed to file a reply to the city’s opening brief by Dec. 24 but that deadline has been suspended indefinitely, pending a ruling on Cradle’s request to exceed the word limit for the brief from 14,000 to 21,000 words.
The city received similar permission prior to filing its opening brief in November.
The Dec. 20 court order suspending the briefing schedule also states that Cradle must file its reply brief within 30 days of a ruling on whether it can exceed the word limit.
In a related matter, the court has accepted for consideration friend-of-the-court briefs filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and by a coalition of 15 religious organizations, civil-rights groups and faith leaders.
Both briefs support Cradle’s eviction from the building.
On Dec. 12, the court accepted for consideration a friend-of-the-court brief filed by a coalition of seven LGBT groups, which also support Cradle’s eviction.
— Tim Cwiek
Learn about jobs program
LGBT adults can learn how they can garner important job-assistance training at an introduction to SageWorks, 6 p.m. Jan. 8 at William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St. The program connects LGBTs over 40 with job coaching, résumé-building, career workshops, computer courses and other initiatives to help them land their dream jobs.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.
For more information, call 215-732-2220 or email [email protected].
Center to host annual meeting
The William Way LGBT Community Center will host its annual meeting at 1 p.m. Jan. 19 at 1315 Spruce St.
All members of the public are invited, and voting matters are open to center members in good standing.
Issues on the table will include the election of new board members as well as a review of the center’s finances, programs and initiatives in the past year and a look to upcoming efforts.
For more information, call 215-732-2220.
Fundraising performance of ‘8’
The Players Club of Swarthmore will stage the award-winning reading of “8,” which traces California’s fight for marriage equality, this weekend.
The production will be presented at 8 p.m. Jan. 4 and 5 at the theater, 614 Fairview Ave. in Swarthmore.
Tickets are $10, and proceeds will be donated to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which is spearheading the case against Prop. 8.
For more information, visit www.pcstheater.org.
— Jen Colletta