Boy Scouts of America delay vote on ending ban on gays

[Diglytron]

(Reuters) - The Boy Scouts of America on Wednesday delayed to May a vote on whether to end a longstanding controversial ban on gay participants, giving a membership deeply divided by the possible change more time to air their concerns.

Board members for the private youth organization, which turns 103 years old on Friday, had been expected to vote on the matter at a meeting on Wednesday. The Boy Scouts upheld the ban just last year amid sharp criticism from gay rights groups.


The Boy Scouts touched off fierce lobbying by groups both for and against changing the policy when it said on January 28 that it was considering removing a national restriction based on sexual orientation and leaving the decision to local chapters.


Even President Barack Obama, who favors lifting the ban, and Texas Governor Rick Perry, an Eagle Scout who supports the ban, weighed in ahead of the Boy Scout's national executive board meeting this week near its headquarters in Irving, Texas.


"In the past two weeks, Scouting has received an outpouring of feedback from the American public," the Boy Scouts said in a statement that noted it had considered "extensive dialogue" within the membership and outside comments.

Source; Reuters

Its also good to look at the history of the organization;

Hist

The Boy Scouts of America's official position is to "not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals" as Scouts or adult Scout Leaders in its traditional Scouting programs. As early as 1980, the Boy Scouts of America have denied membership from openly homosexual individuals applying for adult leadership positions. In 1991 the BSA released a position statement expressing the organization's official position, stating: "We believe that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the requirement in the Scout Oath that a Scout be morally straight and in the Scout Law that a Scout be clean in word and deed, and that homosexuals do not provide a desirable role model for Scouts.” The BSA thus "believes that a known or avowed homosexual is not an appropriate role model of the Scout Oath and Law."




The language used to describe the BSA's policies on homosexual individuals has evolved over time, stating in a 1993 position statement that: "We do not allow for the registration of avowed homosexuals as members or as leaders of the BSA." The BSA adopted a new policy statement in 2004 which included a specific "Youth Leadership" policy stating that: "Boy Scouts of America believes that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the obligations in the Scout Oath and Scout Law to be morally straight and clean in thought, word, and deed. The conduct of youth members must be in compliance with the Scout Oath and Law, and membership in Boy Scouts of America is contingent upon the willingness to accept Scouting’s values and beliefs. Most boys join Scouting when they are 10 or 11 years old. As they continue in the program, all Scouts are expected to take leadership positions. In the unlikely event that an older boy were to hold himself out as homosexual, he would not be able to continue in a youth leadership position."




The BSA stated in a 2000 press release that, "Boy Scouting makes no effort to discover the sexual orientation of any person." BSA application forms for youth membership and adult leadership positions do not inquire about the applicants' sexual orientation and do not mention the BSA's policies regarding homosexuality. Membership has still been revoked in cases where an individual is found to be openly homosexual. In 2005, a high-level employee of BSA was fired by the National Council after the organization received a copy of his bill from a gay resort at which he had vacationed. In 2009, the mother and civil union partner of a Vermont Scout were prohibited from volunteering for his pack when it was learned they were gay.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_Sco..._controversies

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...a-anti-gay-ban


Official statement by the Boy Scouts from their website

statement

For 103 years, the Boy Scouts of America has been a part of the fabric of this nation, providing its youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. In the past two weeks, Scouting has received an outpouring of feedback from the American public. It reinforces how deeply people care about Scouting and how passionate they are about the organization.
After careful consideration and extensive dialogue within the Scouting family, along with comments from those outside the organization, the volunteer officers of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Executive Board concluded that due to the complexity of this issue, the organization needs time for a more deliberate review of its membership policy.
To that end, the National Executive Board directed its committees to further engage representatives of Scouting’s membership and listen to their perspectives and concerns. This will assist the officers’ work on a resolution on membership standards. The approximately 1,400 voting members of the National Council will take action on the resolution at the National Annual Meeting in May 2013.

Source; http://www.scouting.org/executiveboarddecision.aspx


What you think TWC? Is this action by the Boy Scout organization legit or should it be able for Boy Scout leaders to be gay?

Was your self once a boyscout? And how would you have felt when someone in your group was gay?

And what should Obama do? Or the politics?

[Father Jack]

I always thought being a predatory homosexual was a necessity for being a boy scout leader. I have fond memories of our leader sharing a tent with us and encouraging us to cuddle up close because it was a cold night.

[Diglytron]

I always thought being a predatory homosexual was a necessity for being a boy scout leader. I have fond memories of our leader sharing a tent with us and encouraging us to cuddle up close because it was a cold night.

Thanks this is a interesting post which I didn't knew, being a European and never felt attracted by any boy scout organization.

Am I correct if I say its completely different in the USA? Is it true that almost every youth in the USA is in a organization like this? Or at least, outside the cities?

I have fond memories of our leader sharing a tent with us and encouraging us to cuddle up close because it was a cold night.

Good point but being gay doesn't mean he would like to touch little children or that he feels naturally attracted to every man. I slept in the same our gay class mate was sleeping once but was comfortable enough to trust him in it. Its the same for girls while they sleeping in the same tent maybe?

[Knight of Heaven]

I always thought being a predatory homosexual was a necessity for being a boy scout leader. I have fond memories of our leader sharing a tent with us and encouraging us to cuddle up close because it was a cold night.

Lol
i was boyscout in Portugal for alot of years, and we used to cudle and more then that very often with girlscouts. I mean i was there for the chicks initialy no joke, but then it become a place where we could plan and do something diferent, then the usual you know going to the cinema and shopping and being another brick on the wall. I have great memories in my time as boy scout. I remember a national sweden camp a years back a quite a big thing to wich we were invited thousands of people... oh boy the chicks... the chicks from sweden, and the ones from poland and the Lithuanian i could go on. But Boy scouts organizations are diferent from each country, more or lessn diferent rules etc. No ideia how the Americans work exactly. Bit there was a tradition of this organizations of being seperated by gender initialy. Thankfull i was in one witth girls and boys. In the same tent as part of the same team. Messy sometimes you know how are teenagers but a great school for life imo.

[Diglytron]

Lol
i was boyscout in Portugal for alot of years, and we used to cudle and more then that very often with girlscouts. I mean i was there for the chicks initialy no joke, but then it become a place where we could plan and do something diferent, then the usual you know going to the cinema and shopping and being another brick on the wall. I have great memories in my time as boy scout. I remember a national sweden camp a years back a quite a big thing to wich we were invited thousands of people... oh boy the chicks... the chicks from sweden, and the ones from poland and the Lithuanian i could go on. But Boy scouts organizations are diferent from each country, more or lessn diferent rules etc. No ideia how the Americans work exactly. Bit there was a tradition of this organizations of being seperated by gender initialy. Thankfull i was in one witth girls and boys. In the same tent as part of the same team. Messy sometimes you know how are teenagers but a great school for life imo.

That sounds really cool. Altough a bit offtopic that would be a boyscout organisation I would join.

[frozenprince]

And most of America responds with a resounding.

Meh.

[Thorn777]

first college football, now boyscouts

us is really turning gay

[frozenprince]

first college football, now boyscouts

us is really turning gay

I was unaware that there was some giant gay college football scandal.

There was one about a Mormon dude who got caught being an idiot with a girlfriend who never existed, and everybody (including myself) thought he was bumchumming around with someone. But that turned out to be wrong, sadly.

[s.rwitt]

I have a pretty good source that tells me Rick Perry himself is a gay (former) boy scout.

Am I correct if I say its completely different in the USA? Is it true that almost every youth in the USA is in a organization like this? Or at least, outside the cities?

No, not true at all.

[I WUB PUGS]

I have a pretty good source that tells me Rick Perry himself is a gay (former) boy scout.

I swear I said "we don't elect faggots" during the primaries and you said that Perry was no homo...

[s.rwitt]

I swear I said "we don't elect faggots" during the primaries and you said that Perry was no homo...

I was probably being sarcastic. Also, I have never supported Perry for governor, much less President, and said since the first Republican primary debate that Obama would win reelection. So you may be thinking of someone else.

[I WUB PUGS]

I was probably being sarcastic. Also, I have never supported Perry for governor, much less President, and said since the first Republican primary debate that Obama would win reelection. So you may be thinking of someone else.

No, it had nothing to do with his election chances, just the gay thing.

[Ulyaoth]

I really don't care at all, but it's really not the government's place to force them to accept gays.

[nemgod]

I really don't care at all, but it's really not the government's place to force them to accept gays.

If they are publicly funded by the tax payer. (Check)

And use publicly owned places like a school or town hall for meetings. (Check)

Then yes the Government should tell them not to discriminate.

[Gaidin]

I'm shocked that the Boy Scouts still have their head up their asses. Shocked, I say. /deadpan

[frozenprince]

Maybe after this they'll stop banning atheists too.

And, if we're lucky, stop being an arm of the Mormon church in several midwestern states.

One can dream right.

[Pontifex Maximus]

I find it hilarious that such an avowed anti-gay organizations tries so hard to protect its pedophile rapist scoutmasters.

[The Black Mark]

I think it's foolish for them to delay, as it can only open them to further criticism and negative publicity.

I mean, in the UK I believe it would be illegal.

[Burnum]

Huh? Scouts Australia are the second gayest organization in uniform for kids, at least in Australia, since Scouts Australia aren't allowed by their own rules to discriminate.

[Gaidin]

You gotta remember, to organizations like the Boy Scouts, it's only morally wrong to discriminate when it's morally wrong to discriminate.