Utah Boy Scouts hand out pizza in the marriage line

[OKNancy]

Got this from my twitter feed

[url=http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=1333&u=11715825][img][/img][/url]

[NYC_SKP]

1. Love the rainbow neckerchief. (nt)

[OKNancy]

2. seeing the bald spot... not so sure these are Boy Scouts..

I'll go investigate further

[iamthebandfanman]

7. one is a leader

the other is a scout...




at least going by what George takei was saying earlier ..

[Xithras]

15. Yes, he's a leader

From the top to the bottom, the four patches on the left arm of the guy with the rainbow neckerchief:

Council patch for that region.
Troop number.
Adult leader position patch.
Adult leader training patch (confirms that he's finished BSA training for his position)

It's a leader uniform, not a scout uniform.

[Harmony Blue]

3. That is an awesome photo

[OKNancy]

4. another link

http://www.thegailygrind.com/2013/12/23/boy-scouts-delivering-pizza-utah-county-clerks-skipped-lunches-process-gay-marriages-will-make-day/

[Gothmog]

5. This is a great story

This makes me smile

[etherealtruth]

6. That is a really nice site

Seeing an organization quite often associated with homophobia and a state quite often associated with the same doing the right thing!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

39. what you said!

[Android3.14]

8. The kerchief isn't legit, troop number is illegible. These probably aren't Boy Scouts.

It's a nice sentiment, and definitely in keeping with many tenets of the Scout Law (courteous, kind, cheerful, and brave) but any journalist covering this story would have found out the troop number.Even if the Boy Scout and the adult leader asked the journalist to keep the number out of the press, and he or she agreed, anyone reporting on the event would have mentioned that the scouts declined to provide their troop number. None of the pictures at the other link shows a complete troop number either.
Also, any journalist covering the story would have leaped on it. It wouldn't just show up on some twitter feed. There would have been a story.
As an old Eagle Scout, I wish they were real Boy Scouts, but as a distrustful cynic, I'll bet they are wearing the uniforms as costumes.
I'll look into it further, but I'm unconvinced at this point.

[DeSwiss]

9. Looks like Troop 51

Joanna Brooks
December 23, 2013 3:51PM

Boy Scouts, Gay Marriage, & Pizza
Post by Joanna Brooks



MORE

K&R

[Android3.14]

10. That's a three-digit troop number, I'd bet

However, I was reading on another site that the adult might be a guy named Peter Brownstein, whom the BSA reprimanded for posting the colors at a Utah Pride parade.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56461131-78/parade-utah-pride-bsa.html.csp
If it is, then he is doing this under threat of losing his leadership privileges. If so, then the dude has balls only a gay metallurgist would appreciate.

[DeSwiss]

14. ''gay metallurgist''

- I am a lover of words -- and I Love It!


Needs some rainbows.....

[Android3.14]

13. Looks like Troop 351

If the balding guy is Peter Brownstein, he is probably the Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 351.
http://www.gslc-bsa.org/programs/relationships-scouting-is-for-everyone/faith-based-partners/jewish/39757

[Gore1FL]

22. There is no standard neckerchief.

It is up to the individual troop or patrol, and they can be made special for special events.

I'm an Eagle Scout, a Wood Badge trained former adult leader, and a former member of my district's adult leader training staff.

I am not suggesting that these gentlemen are absolutely the real thing, but I am more convinced that they are than aren't. Whether or not this was troop, district, or council sanctioned, is another matter.

[Android3.14]

34. Yup

Learn something new everyday.
http://www.scoutmastercg.com/how-to-wear-the-scout-neckerchief/
I wonder what the BSA is going to do with this Brownstein guy.

[AllyCat]

23. Troop? Uh, we call the number the "pack" number.

In the right place on the sleeve. I know. I've sewn many of the on. I have only been in scouting with my kids a short time but have never referred to them as a "troop"??

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

27. Way back, Boy Scouts had "troops", Cub Scouts had "packs".

but maybe things have changed in the past 50 years.

[ManiacJoe]

31. Still the same way.

Pack = Cub Scouts
Troop = Boy Scouts

[iamthebandfanman]

29. the patches

and uniforms are definitely legit in nature.. patches where they are supposed to be and what not..

but id imagine they are probably EX scouts.. or at least acting on their own accord, not as a troop..
someone was saying the one with leadership patches (and the rainbow) is a guy who got pushed out of scouting because of his sexuality...
im sure we'll find out at least by the time the holiday week is over

[Hamlette]

11. You know that 95% of boy scout troops are run by the Mormon church.

I'm a tad skeptical too, unless this is one of the troops the church does not run.

but even so, cool.

[NutmegYankee]

12. Far less than that.

Outside of the SW USA, most are run by Protestant or Catholic leaders.

[Hamlette]

21. should have said "in Utah"

"In 2011, Mormon-sponsored packs and troops accounted for more than one-third of the country’s scout units, and the 421,000 boys they enrolled, from ages 8 to 18, made up 15 percent of the country’s 2.7 million registered scouts. (Because every ward has its own unit, many Mormon-sponsored troops are smaller than average.)"
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/us/mormons-and-scouts-act-as-partners-in-molding-boys.html

[Xithras]

16. Less than 17% of scouts are Mormon

There are currently 2.6 million scouts registered in the Bsa. 430,000 of them are in units run by the Mormons. They're the largest religious group in the BSA by far, but they're nowhere near 95%

[Hamlette]

19. I should have said, in Utah.

The Mormon church in Utah runs most of the boy scout troops. In fact, it was a big part of the reason the Mormon church said it was okay to be black in the 1970s. Before that, blacks couldn't hold the priesthood in the church. The Boy Scouts put pressure on the church (God?) and God changed his mind.

[siligut]

24. Just as Mormons need to over estimate their numbers in all the polls we see

They are no doubt doing it here

[AllyCat]

25. Then I guess all the dens in our town are in the 5% that aren't?

And our little burg even has a Mormon church. Most of the scouts seem to be Catholic or Lutheran, but we have never caught flack for being, um, well, kind of non-descript spiritual. Mostly, we believe in the Great Spirit...if anything.

[TexasProgresive]

28. Are you thinking of cub scouts?

Which are part of BSA but boy scouts have troops and not packs, unless things have changed since I was an assistant scout master 40 years ago.

[AllyCat]

42. Ah, yes that must be it. We have just started Cub Scouts

It's a pack party and den meeting. I've never heard the word troop used. But that makes sense! Thanks for the education...I'm sure I will learn much more as we go along with scouting!

[Hamlette]

30. there are non Mormon affiliated troops

when our son was that age we knew of them so I might have over estimated the % here that are Mormon. Mormonism in Utah is so tied to boy scouts that when I think of boy scouts, I think Mormon.

[CreekDog]

43. In Utah, they mostly are, but even in Utah, that doesn't mean they *all* are

not to mention, Salt Lake City is somewhat liberal on these issues, and at the same time, quite Mormon too.

sometimes you need to question why you think that Mormons or Boy Scouts all believe the same thing.

[MrScorpio]

17. Sounds like these guys earned their Human Rights Badges nt

[reACTIONary]

41. +10 (nt)

[TxDemChem]

18. That just gave me goosebumps.

It's a beautiful thing to see. I'm now getting misty-eyed. We've come a long way, but we still have a ways to go. This gives me hope.

I salute these Scouts!

[salin]

20. Cool pic!

Thanks for sharing, and it is - as always - good to see you OKNancy!

[eridani]

26. Salt Lake City--dark blue spot in a sea of red

Wish the city population would increase. Good for them for hanging in there.

[grantcart]

33. this was encouraging

:large

[eridani]

36. I'll say! Very informative graph n/t

[Cha]

32. I had to do double takes when I read "Utah"! I see

it's Salt Lake City.. Good on the Boy Scouts.. Always prepared..

Mahalo Nancy

[saltpoint]

35. A lot of people like pizza.

But I bet the pizza these Scouts were offering to the people in that particular line tasted way better than your average pizza.

No matter what people like on their pizza, when it's served with affirmation, it's even better.

[dembotoz]

37. good to see

hope they don't get flogged by the council

[grahamhgreen]

38. OMG! Why did this get me thinking about why they have a 3 finger salute, lol

[William769]

40. Kick & recommended.

[Brownstein]

44. Thank you

Thank you all for your kind words on this thread. When this photo was taken I still had a valid BSA membership - The photo in the CNN article was a bit better
http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/25/us/utah-boy-scout-pizza-for-gays/

While I have run into a bit of opposition within the BSA, it's great to know that there are folks who think the way I do.
Peter

[William769]

45. Welcome to DU & keep up the good work!

[OKNancy]

46. no, thank you!

[gopiscrap]

47. Welcome to DU

[chollybocker]

48. Kudos to you, Mr. B.

From a former scout / current gay man / lifelong pizza fan.