As the Centre County United Way campaign to raise $1.8 million is underway, some members of the Penn State community are designating that their money does not go to the Boy Scouts of America.

Dan Trevino, co-chair of the Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Equity, said the Boy Scouts of America have publicly discriminated against members due to sexual orientation.

Members of the Commission and the LGBT community on campus expressed concern about the Boys Scouts of America's stance on gay issues at Thursday's town meeting.

"The national organization dismissed from leadership positions any person who declares to be gay," Trevino said. "They also dismiss members who after joining declares publicly, or it becomes known, they happen to be gay."

The Boy Scouts of America received the right to choose its leadership in a 2000 Supreme Court decision. The court ruled because it is a private, non-profit organization, the Boy Scouts had the right to fire a gay assistant scoutmaster in New Jersey because his values went against the organization's values.

David Kleinfelter, scout executive for the Juniata Valley Council, said this issue has come up before at Penn State, but he doesn't feel the Boy Scouts illegally discriminate.

"We are allowed to select our leadership; that isn't discrimination," he said.

He said the United Way started the designation process as a way to allow people to choose where their money goes.

Since this began, the Boy Scouts have actually received more money in designations by Penn State employees, he said.

The Centre County United Way launched the campaign on Sept. 4, with $300,000 donated already. It has raised about $1.1 million as of yesterday. Donors can fill out pledge cards or, if employed by the university, can have a specified amount taken out of their paychecks.

Last year, $55,000 was donated to two local Boy Scout troops, said Ellie Beaver, Centre County United Way executive director.

Trevino, a senior lecturer in the College of Health and Human Development, said he, along with other members of the community, designated that the Boy Scouts of America will not receive their donations.

Beaver said donors can designate on the pledge card the specific organizations their money should or should not go to.

However, she said that donors do not have the ability to determine how much money a particular organization would receive from the United Way, aside from their own personal donations to that specific organization.

"The only money anybody has a right to distribute is their own," she said.

The Centre County United Way currently donates to 36 agencies, but donors may also specify outside recipients.

If a person chooses to exempt a certain group, such as the Boy Scouts of America, from their donation, the Boy Scouts loses only 1/36 of the particular donation.

Trevino said it is important to designate against organizations that practice discrimination, even if it doesn't hurt the total money they receive.

He said it sends a message to the local United Way board that there are donors who contribute but don't agree with giving money to groups who he said discriminate based on sexual orientation.

Beaver said the United Way doesn't designate funds based on beliefs.

"We are not an ideological stand but a method for people to use for their philanthropy," she said.

Overall, Beaver said the majority of donations received do not have specific designations indicated.

Trevino sent a statement from the commission to Steve MacCarthy, vice president of university relations, was to be published in Intercom, a weekly faculty publication, informing them they can designate who receives their donations.

MacCarthy said he couldn't publish the statement because Intercom is set up to provide the official view of the university.

"We can't publish things from different groups in there, whether we agree or disagree with the content," MacCarthy said.