A fantastic letter to the BSA about their policy on LGBT

[dsc]

http://www.askyourdadblog.com/2013/02/i-really-hope-my-son-gets-to-be-boy.html

Dear Boy Scouts of America,

I need to tell you something that I suspect you already know. There are already plenty of LGBT people in your organization. In my troop alone there were three gay men that I know of. Two remained closeted until later in life and are still my friends. One came out while still in the troop. We ridiculed him, teased him, and bullied him. He was eventually asked to leave the troop by our leadership. He left, broken-hearted.

His mom, Barbara, was a kind and quiet woman. Before her son left the troop, she had already volunteered to be one of the adults who would attend a once in a lifetime Boy Scout trip to the Philmont Scout Ranch. Knowing that if she didn't attend we wouldn't be able to go, she still went with us – even though her son wasn't allowed.

For two weeks we would get to backpack through the wilderness in New Mexico learning outdoor, teambuilding, and leadership skills. And for two weeks she would hike silently among us while we used words like gay, queer and faggot.

About half way through our second week we were all sitting around the camp fire joking and Barbara hit her breaking point. I don't recall what was said that made her tip, but it was probably something insensitive and hateful. She lashed out sobbing and yelling as she pointed at each one of us accusingly.

"It is your fault that my son isn't here! It is your fault he is at home crying! It is your fault he lost all of his friends! It is your fault I worry about him every day! You are all so mean!"

"No," said one of the boys. "It's his fault."

And then she broke down into sobs, stood up and walked away into the darkness to find her tent.

[patrice]

1. It's still hard to believe that this country is actually trying to create ANOTHER

PERMANENT "legally" defined underclass of scapegoats like Barbara's son. It's sooooo confusing to realize that could happen so easily and so many people would just go right along with it, like it's okay. It's shocking!!

[tblue]

2. There were at least 2 in my son's troop

Neither came out until after they'd left scouting (one became an Eagle Scout and one left in about 9th grade). There must be a lot of gay scouts.

Btw, these two scouts would not have been kicked out for being gay. Not by the scoutmasters of this troop. And boy would the leadership have caught it from some of us parents if they'd pulled a move like that. And I bet we would have fought it all the way to the top.

About a year ago I did hear one scout say one time "That's so gay" about something that had nothing to do with anything gay. I told him never to say it again, that it was hurtful and wrong.

Other than that, I think this troop is a great example of what Scouting ought to be.

[dsc]

3. even in troops like yours the problems come when they earn national badges

and then can't get them and get kicked out for being gay.