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News & ArtsMonday, January 28, 2013
LGBTQITSLFA Boy Scouts to Allow Gay Members?
Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, Jan 28, 2013 at 11:52 AM
Sounds like change is coming to Boy Scouts of America:
As early as next week, the Boy Scouts of America may announce it will allow gay Scouts and troop leaders, a spokesman for the group has told USA TODAY.
If this policy shift is approved by the national board meeting next week, it will be a sharp reversal of the Scouts' decades' old national policy banning homosexuals.
UPDATE 12:04 PM: If you'd like to send the Boy Scouts a very polite message encouraging the reversal of this ban, it looks like the best way to do so is via this form.
1
Cool.
Mind you, they always had gay members.
One of my brothers is gay, and he was a scout, as were all the boys in my family.
About time they joined the 21st Century.
Mind you, they always had gay members.
One of my brothers is gay, and he was a scout, as were all the boys in my family.
About time they joined the 21st Century.
2
trust but verify.
how will they enforce this at the local level? Will gay kids have to out themselves to confront the powerful in their communities and worlds?
how will they enforce this at the local level? Will gay kids have to out themselves to confront the powerful in their communities and worlds?
4
@2 They stated quite clearly that this is just the national level. They will let any local scout troop discriminate if that's what they see fit.
6
@4' still a big deal. Even if som branches will stay homophobic, it will be nice to take the handcuffs off the chapters that want to welcome gays but can't b/c of national rules.
10
We're winning. Thanks for the link to comment, Paul. I sent them a note:
As a former Cub Scout of the Chief Seattle Council I am delighted to read today that BSA may shortly announce it is lifting its ban on gay scouts and scouting leaders. Long overdue. Hooray! I will happily begin making BSA part of my charity giving scheme once this has been done.
12
That's good news, but still leaves the Boy Scouts in the shit list, as far as I'm concerned. Even if they instituted a full change (instead of leaving it up to individual troops) the scouts would remain officially bigoted. They wouldn't be homophobic, but in excluding atheists they remain a bigoted organization that should recieve no support. It would be clear enough if they excluded Jews, or Muslims, that they were disgustingly bigoted. Excluding atheists is no different.
13
While acknowledging that many members of the Mormon church are coming around on LGBT issues (and official support of an initiative like California's Proposition 8 would not likely be repeated), this may help lessen the dominance of LDS congregations in sponsoring scouting:
The LDS Church is the largest single sponsor of Scouting units with over 30,000 units nationwide, which comprise about 13% of BSA's youth members. (Wikipedia)
14
I was actually just about to chime in and point out that the LDS church more or less runs scouting these days, so if they change this policy it will be a fairly huge step.
That this conversation is even *happening* within the BSA is a pretty big deal. The good guys are winning, bit by bit...
That this conversation is even *happening* within the BSA is a pretty big deal. The good guys are winning, bit by bit...
15
Am I the only one who read that wrong the first time?
One of my brothers is gay, and he was a scout, as were all the boys in my family.
Am I the only one who read that wrong the first time?
17
@13 this will absolutely push out a lot of LDS groups. This, I hate to say, isn't a bad thing. Scouting should be for all, not just some. I say that as a former Life Scout that bailed a short bit prior to Eagle.
19
12 - That might become the next issue. With gay members and leaders banned, I'm pretty sure there are about 0 atheists who actually WANT to join the Scouts, so that particular discrimination doesn't really seem like it'd come up right now.
20
This is actually inherently unfair unless you make the Scouts coed.
The reason is that the only sexual relation possible now among Boy Scouts will be homosexual whereas there will be no opportunity for heterosexuals. So this is socialization of one preference but exclusion of the other.
Unless the Girl and Boy Scouts merge, which I favor, then heterosexual socialization is discriminated against.
The reason is that the only sexual relation possible now among Boy Scouts will be homosexual whereas there will be no opportunity for heterosexuals. So this is socialization of one preference but exclusion of the other.
Unless the Girl and Boy Scouts merge, which I favor, then heterosexual socialization is discriminated against.
21
@15 or I wrote it so that it was intentionally ambiguous.
@20 there are some groups like that in Canada. Can't remember the name of what they were called, offhand.
@20 there are some groups like that in Canada. Can't remember the name of what they were called, offhand.
22
These decisions have always been made at the local level. The higher-ups do not come to individual troops and do gay checks.
This is why scouting, while officially banning gays, has always had gays involved. Most local troops do not want to discriminate, and so they don't.
Still an important step though.
This is why scouting, while officially banning gays, has always had gays involved. Most local troops do not want to discriminate, and so they don't.
Still an important step though.
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