I'm Pro-Boy Scouts (And Pro-Gay)

It is sad that a group with the potential to do so much good has chosen to teach our youth intolerance of difference. The courts of the land have held that as a private organization they have the right to exclude whomever the wish. It is a wonder they did not choose to exclude blacks and other minorities while they were making the rules. The only way to challenge them is for society to change to the point where the Boy Scouts must change or fade away. However I do not see us changing anytime soon as the courts continue to allow discrimination to occur. Your a good parent and I hope you continue to teach your child tolerance for others even the misguided Boy Scouts of America.

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How did they even get the power to decide whether these could be enforced!
we can have pedophile priests, gay teachers, & clergymen, of various
denominations, gays in the military....even "leadership" positions,
but not in boys couts!!!!! WHATEVER!!!! I was thrilled my son got to take part, even if it was only for a few years, those years gave him grounding, & guess what, I'd do it again in a heartbeat, yes, even if one of the leaders was gay, so what! Does it detract from his leadership abilities? Does it prevent him from being empathetic or cut his ability to encourage a young boy to try new skills, & experiences? So why does it matter?
I say this to the intolerant, filthy minded narrow bigots......Get lost & keep your self righteous holier than thou attitudes away from a wonderful institution & the great men who choose to selflessly give of their time to better the lives of our up & coming generations.
Bless all of you, whoever, whatever you may be.

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As a father of two boy scouts, I agree with the policies of the BSA regarding duty to God, and not allowing avowed homosexuals in leadership positions. The scouts in our troop don't just sit around and say how they hate this, that and the other. They believe in a power greater than themselves, and look to their parent(s) and scout leaders for guidance, direction and structure using time-proven governing values that help boys uphold their duty to God, become good, productive citizens and mature men. No large organization is scandal-free including the BSA and they've had to deal with credibility-damaging circumstances that are sexual in nature, but the BSA has chosen to adhere to a developement model for boys that doesn't dwell on the "Who am I" and "Why am I here?" Nor does it dwell on sexually confusing issues.

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While the court has ruled on the fact the BSA has to change its membership requirements I do not understand why they are still allowed in the public schools. A government institution should not allow an organization that excludes individuals on the basis, religion, sexual orientation and gender to organize and solicited members on school property. Most districts have clear policies on this but choose to ignore this when it comes to the BSA. If another youth group that openly discriminated against Jews, the physically handicapped or even obese kids the school would never let them in but yet they continue to operate in most school districts.

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just an observation....I have yet to meet a gay person who reads the King James or any other version of the Bible....Many will take a verse, twist its meaning to support their moral choices,then claim they were born that way.Then the gay person defends their lifestyle on the aforementioned premise['born that way']attacking those who believe and pursue God for not accepting the gay person in their self pronounced state of being acceptable.To the gay person,I suggest you start a gay scout group that reflects what you choose to believe or that reflects your belief that you are born that way.To the religious gay person you cannot pick and choose that is you must adhere to the whole Bible in context.In short, gay people need to start their own organisation that reflects their views{it's legal] you can have your own organisation.Quit trying to force contextually Godly people to see it your way, that is people who believe the Bible in its entirety ,who embrace homosexuality as sin as the Bible indicates.You Christians on the otherhand, pray and if somebody is willing to here what Gods word says share it lovingly omitting nothing.Legally the gay person is entitled to their beliefs and to pursue them.Legally the Christian is entitled to his beliefs and to pursue them.This is called FREEDOM.

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If you don't like the belief system of a group that was founded on certain religeous and moral beliefs..why don't you either find a group that shares your beliefs or found one yourself? What gives people the right to think "hey, I think all that looks like fun, but I'm going to change it to suit my needs or my belilefs" which is in effect, imposing YOUR beliefs on people in the guise of "freedom of beliefs". Why is it only freedom of beliefs if it matches YOUR beliefs?

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To the above commenters:

What, might I ask, does sexual orientation have to do with Boy Scouts? How would having a gay or atheist leader affect their experience? I have been a Girl Scout for fifteen years, and never once had an issue with religion come up. That's not the point of the program. Someone who is gay or even atheist can still believe in many of the same values that you do, and in fact, some of my most religious and conservative friends are gay.
If a leader was using Boy Scouts as a platform to promote his own agenda, be it Catholic, Jewish, homosexual, heterosexual, I do believe that would be wrong. But there is no reason for a leader to do that, and to deny them the chance to make a difference in a child's life because you assume that they will push their agenda on your children is discrimination, plain and simple. This should not be a case of guilty until proven innocent.

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When I earned my Eagle Scout Badge 15 years ago, I envisioned my award framed and placed on the wall of my office for people to see when I became a professional. Instead it is packed away, not to be seen by the public. While I value my experiences and think they are ideal for most young men, I find the national organization's position shameful and harmful. Unlike the Girls and many foreign scouts, the decision about what is right is dictated nationally. I disagree than any troop, charted by a sponsor - from a VFW post to a Church - cannot say that on matters of faith or morals that it will follow the policies of the chartering organization. There is no reason any boy's expereiences would be diminished because there is a humanist non-homophobic troop that operates lightly different from their Mormon anti-gay one.

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I cannot support any group if it condones and openly practices discrimination. The Boy Scouts not only discriminated against homosexuality, but has a long history of discrimination against people of color. Many of their high level staffers have or had ties to the KKK. No matter what good they do, it is off-set by the bigotry and injustice they practice on a daily basis. I do no want this to be my son's role model.

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I am the mother of two Eagle Scouts and an atheist. My children were welcomed into their troop where they openly discussed their own ideas about right, wrong, God, good, evil, etc. They did not profess to be a part of any religion, yet they completed their Eagle Scout requirements, including the essay regarding morality. I know that bigotry exists in scouting the same way it exists in the church I grew up in, in my political party, in my workplace, in my neighborhood. Yet, some brave scouts do reject the bigotry. Those scouts set a fabulous example for my sons! I know in my heart that scouting will overcome these outdated requirements regarding sexual orientation and religious affiliation. One scout at a time.

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For the commenters who are misinformed about the discrimination of homosexuals, and who think they don't support discrimination these are the facts:

Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Passed by Congress in 1996, Prohibits Same-Sex Marriage. 39 of the 50 States have laws that ban Same-Sex marriage.
Don't Ask Don't Tell has not yet been repealed, and the repeal is meeting opposition from the Military.

So if you pay Federal taxes, and State taxes in one of the 39 states; guess what, you are funding, and supporting discrimination of homosexuals!

The majority of the citizens of the United States have a religious belief, in God We Trust is printed on our money, and One Nation Under God is still a part of our Pledge of Allegiance.

The policies of the BSA, while maybe not media correct, are politically supported in most of the 50 states. As to why the BSA is permitted to be in schools, we are tax payers and have as much right to be in a public school, as the BOYS football team, and the Girl Scouts who don't have male youth members. The BSA has both all boy programs and co-ed programs for youth, it does not discriminate in youth membership, by sex, religion, or ethnic background. The BSA does however have a moral standard which is based on the moral ethics of the predominate religions practiced in the United States.

The Boy Scouts of America were brave enough not to cave into the political free for all and pressures from the minority, as so many politicos do. Their ability to raise the youth of America to upstanding productive members of this country is proven by their alumni list 100 years in the making. This list which includes; Presidents, Judges, 11 of the 12 men who walked on the moon, surgeons, and apparently Tim who doesn't have the courage to be honest with himself about the values he learned as a Scout or brave enough to acknowledge that he isn't a gay bashing, atheist burning deviant, even though he erred in his youth and is a member of the BSA. Once an Eagle always an Eagle Tim.

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Dear Friend:

Did you know there is a fabulous youth group, very similar to Boy Scouts, that welcomes children [that's children, not just boys] of all races, creeds, sexual orientation, economic status, and etc., etc.

Its an organization founded by many of the same people who founded Boy Scouts, but this organization has always prided itself on welcoming, 100 years ago, girls of many faiths and races, and in the 1970's, young men.

We camp, we take field trips, we provide thousands of hours of community service, we learn about our home, family, community, school, place of worship . . . we are Camp Fire USA!

Check us out!!! Better yet, start a club!!!

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Barb - Thanks! There are great, non-discriminatory, alternatives to Boy Scouts - Camp Fire USA and also SpiralScouts (both on the web).

As a religious organization, the Boy Scouts have a legal right to be as narrow minded, bigoted, and discriminatory as they want to be, but I will have no part of that organization, especially given how it attempted to cover up sexual abuse within its organization. They even kept secret files of this abuse. I'm proud my 8 year old son understands why it's wrong to discriminate when many grown ups don't grasp this. Fortunately, our son has no interest in joining based on just these discriminatory policies, and I do not even have to discuss this organization's extensive sexual abuse cover up.

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And yet the Boy Scouts policies haven't helped to prevent sexual abuse of children by adults in Boy Scouts, which has only covered up such abuse rather than reporting it to the authorities appropriately. Hundreds of secret files of reported sexual abuse found - kept secret by the Boy Scouts who are supposed to be trusted with young boys. This Boy Scout sexual abuse cover up is well documented and, as a parent, one of the most disturbing things I've ever heard. How would you react if your son's school engaged in such a sexual abuse cover up?

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And yet the Boy Scouts policies haven't helped to prevent sexual abuse of children by adults in Boy Scouts, which has only covered up such abuse rather than reporting it to the authorities appropriately. Hundreds of secret files of reported sexual abuse found - kept secret by the Boy Scouts who are supposed to be trusted with young boys. This Boy Scout sexual abuse cover up is well documented and, as a parent, one of the most disturbing things I've ever heard. How would you react if your son's school engaged in such a sexual abuse cover up?

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