October 16, 1997 | Read Time: 1 minute
The I.R.S. has given charity status to a North Carolina group that counsels gay and lesbian teen-agers after a controversial exchange with the group about its mission.
Last year, the I.R.S.’s national office sent the Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Support System in Greensboro, N.C., a four-page missive that requested additional information before it decided if the group merited charity status. The letter raised concerns that the organization “would encourage the development of homosexual attitudes and propensities by the young and impressionable.”
After the group branded the request as discriminatory, the I.R.S. retracted it and agreed to “take a fresh look” at the group’s application. In a new letter to the group, the I.R.S. says it qualifies as a charity.
