After vote allowing gay kids to become Boy Scouts, some families call it quits

[reflection]

Source: MSNBC

The father of a Cub Scout sat his son on his lap late last week and told him news that tore up both their hearts: The family was leaving the Boy Scouts.

Aaron Butler, the leader of his 8-year-old son Evan’s Cub Scout Wolf den in Roseau, Minn., said he didn't explain to his eldest son exactly why they were walking away from an organization they loved so much, but he told NBC News that it was because of last week's controversial decision by the Boy Scouts of America to allow gay youth to participate.

“It was a big disappointment. He cried for about 10 minutes because I told him that Boy Scouts were not honoring their own law," Butler said, referring to the BSA oath that he interpreted as barring gay people. "They say it -- 'On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep [myself] physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight,'” he said.
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“If the BSA cannot honor its own law, then how can I stay with an organization that just does not care anymore?” he said.

Read more: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/30/18633729-after-vote-allowing-gay-kids-to-become-boy-scouts-some-families-call-it-quits?lite

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Pathetic.

[bowens43]

1. Wow , what an asshole. I feel bad for the son.

[broadcaster75201]

2. Good. Makes it easier to identify the bigots

We must be relentless about pushing bigots back into the caves from whence they scurried. let 'em rot there with their guns and MREs.

[bitchkitty]

27. Too bad their kids have to suffer, though.

These kind of people drag their whole families down and perpetuate hatred throughout generations.

[politicaljunkie41910]

64. I'm guessing that he then told his 8 year old that they were joining the NRA, and he bought his son

his own little child-size rifle, because Obama was coming for his guns.

So let me get this straight, would the father quit his job if his employer hired someone who is gay? If so, good riddance. The last thing the Boy Scouts needs is "Leaders" who teach kids misinformation, or that it's okay to discriminate against a class of people based on their sexual orientation, something which they have no control over. None of us straight people made ourselves straight, and being gay is not a choice, so it's ridiculous to say that gay people shouldn't be entitled to the same rights and freedoms as everyone else. Or that you accept their homosexuality as long as they don't act upon it, aka the "Love the sinner, hate the sin" crap.

[Historic NY]

3. Its the straight part these idiots are hopelessly clueless.......

its has nothing to do with sexual preference. They would rather disappoint their own children.

[Kolesar]

13. & He rationalizes voting for Cheney twice...eom

[Ms. Toad]

17. ?

I don't see anything in the article about Cheney. Am I missing something?

[marshall]

72. I guess it is a reference to Mary Cheney

If the Cheneys can accept their lesbian daughter, the scouts can certainly accept gay sons.

[Liberalagogo]

44. Not a preference

Preference implies choice.

Please avoid this outdated, inaccurate, and misleading terminology.

[uppityperson]

65. It is sexual orientation, not preference. Orientation is how you are, like what color

your eyes are or if your innate inborn sexual orientation. Preference is what you chose to do, wear colored contacts, have sex twice a week, etc.

[Botany]

4. Way to go Dad! Install homophobia into your 8 year old son's heart.

Last edited Fri May 31, 2013, 01:35 PM - Edit history (1)

Telling your son that his not being around gay people will make God love him
even more is just sick. It is border line child abuse.

[Wellstone ruled]

5. What a ingnorant parent.

This is typical of many closet zealots. Yes,Minnesota has it's different persons.

[AtheistCrusader]

6. I feel bad for those kids.

Not their fault who their parents are.

[Nolimit]

7. He is only punishing his son.

These people must think the Boy Scouts is going to be some sort of 24/7 San Fransisco-eqsue pride parade. The Boy Scouts are never about sexuality, whether a kid is heterosexual or homosexual, it will never be brought up. These kids are going to have no idea why they are being pulled out of scouts.

[Dollface]

56. Apparently he doesn't understand the concept of moral behavior outside of a sexual context.

So if a behavior can't be immoral if it isn't sexual, then these geniuses will let you know what they think is sexual and how they know it is immoral.

Maybe that explains why the GOP is ok with promoting policies that hurt the needy (see Krugman's latest), destroy the environment, arts, education, etc., undermine the Constitution and, generally, lie as needed if money or power at risk.
None of those things have to do with your morals. Morals are just about sex.

[jmowreader]

61. If sex is brought up at all...

...it's to tell you not to have any until you get married.

[onehandle]

8. Punish your children for your intolerance. I'm glad they are doing this.

It will accelerate the downfall of the GOPNRATeahadists narrowing universe.

Future history books will not be kind to the last gasp of 19th century thinking.

[idwiyo]

9. Bigotry at its best.

[SunSeeker]

10. I consider what that dad did to be child abuse.

What a horrible, broken human being that dad is. I feel sorry for his son. Telling his son that, in essence, being gay violates "God's rules" is abusive--whether his son is straight or not.

[Garion_55]

11. it doesnt say 'sexually straight'

id prosecute this guy for child abuse.

[hamsterjill]

12. Honestly, I see this as nothing more than the father throwing a temper tantrum.

Because he didn't get his way.

Even if the father disagrees with the decision, he missed a great opportunity to teach his child acceptance and tolerance. Even if the father disagrees with the decision, he could still have taught the child that, while their own family values may not agree, that it is honorable to allow other people to live their lives as they see fit and be accepting and loving of all others.

[secondwind]

22. I agree! Teachable moment lost forever.

[SCVDem]

14. How much do you want to bet.....

The family is Republican or Tea Party and are voting against their interests

They attend church every Sunday

They believe in the Makers and Takers meme

They preach their belief in a loving god to anyone who will listen

AND

When the boy turns 18 he will leave home and never look back.

Kids really resent having been raised to be bigots and haters

[cstanleytech]

16. I wouldnt care to bet money as I am sure I would lose it lol

[Mojorabbit]

24. There are people like this everywhwere

I was on a flight last week and speaking with a lovely African American woman about my age( pushing 60). She was very upset about the ruling as she said she was a practicing Baptist and it was immoral.. She thought the country's morals were going down the tube. She was A Dem. We talked about how we slow down in so many ways as we are aging. She said she thought Hillary was too old for such a grueling job because of this reason and that she was interested in Christie as it seems he cared about all the people he was representing. It was an eyeopening discussion. I bit my tongue.

[fitman]

33. This is why so many rw conservatives have a anti college stance

"When the boy turns 18 he will leave home and never look back."

-their kids go away and see the other viewpoints and know they have been brainwashed their entire lives.

[SCVDem]

45. I joined the Marines in 73

That's when I met other races.

I wasn't allowed to buy Bill Cosby's album "Right" because he was a , you know.

[Politicub]

48. +1

[reflection]

55. You nailed it.

Exposure to other paradigms is scary, and if you were good enough to shelter yourself in a bubble of your choosing, the thought of your child venturing outside that bubble must be absolutely terrifying.

[JBoy]

67. How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm

after they've seen Paree?

[Politicub]

47. Once he realizes his parents were wrong about this issue, he's going to question everything

I'm sure many of us grew up around bigoted people in our families. I know my family had its share of people with irrational, caustic opinions about others. Our so-called religious leaders fanned the flames of intolerance, and continue to do so today.

But I learned early in my teenage years that's there's a big world out there just begging to be explored. It doesn't take long for a young person's eyes to be opened once he or she heads out to college or gets to know diverse folks in school.

It's one of the reasons why the vast majority of the upcoming generation doesn't see gay marriage or equality as an issue.

[cstanleytech]

15. "Pathetic." Yes, very much so.

[MNBrewer]

18. This is an unfortunate, but predictable result of the BSA's decision

In the short term some churches will boot out their sponsored troops, some parents will withdraw their kids. But BSA did what it had to do in order to remain a widely respected organization. The short term pain will be minimal compared to the long term benefit to the group.

[cyberswede]

36. I agree...

and it's one thing to CHOOSE not to belong any more, as opposed not being allowed in the first place.

[frylock]

19. oh boo hoo hoo..

fuck these bigots. fuck. them.

[Gore1FL]

20. The father is an idiot

First of all, he's a homophobe
Second, he is referring to the Scout Oath and not the Scout Law.
Third, the term "morally straight" predates the "Straight vs Gay" implication of the word.

I am glad assholes like this are quitting their leadership posts. I just wish they wouldn't ruin their kid's over it.

[zipplewrath]

60. "Myself"

And it says "keep MYSELF....".

It doesn't say one has to impose this oath on everyone else.

[Incitatus]

21. Do they send their kids to public schools?

Last edited Fri May 31, 2013, 06:07 PM - Edit history (2)

[Eric J in MN]

26. ..or Little League?

I've never heard of a Little League excluding kids for being gay.

[jtuck004]

23. Not the only one. The bigot that runs the sheriffs dept in Kootenai County

wants to pull the BS charter, their sponsorship of the scouts, because "sodomy is illegal" in the state with the next to lowest per capita income in the U.S., Idaho. (They beat out Mississippi). One would think that orgs which teach kids to do more with what they have would be all the rage in such a place.

http://www.cdapress.com/news/local_news/article_bb0f8ba3-56fc-5adb-bc28-25ac662a5c5c.html

[telclaven]

29. I thought the Supreme Court settled this issue

"sodomy is illegal"

[jmowreader]

63. They did

And after that little episode I wonder what other unconstitutional things he enforces. But at least they haven't built a tent jail on the fairgrounds yet.

[jtuck004]

66. He's a sheriff. What does he care about the law? n/t

[Daemonaquila]

25. Good riddance.

Crappy parents produce crappy kids. BSA and the remaining scouts will progress much better without big homophobes and little homophobes alike.

[Myrina]

28. Sounds like pop wasn't really Scout Material anyway ...

.... if he will only belong to groups that are exclusionary and intolerant, he most likely would not have met the Scout standard.

[starroute]

30. And he has no clue that "straight" was originally a gay code-word

According to Wikipedia:

The term "straight" originated as a mid-20th century gay slang term for heterosexuals, ultimately coming from the phrase "to go straight" (as in "straight and narrow&quot , or stop engaging in homosexual sex. One of the first uses of the word in this way was in 1941 by author G. W. Henry. Henry's book concerned conversations with homosexual males and used this term in connection with the reference to ex-gays.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterosexuality

[johnnypneumatic]

31. the father was never happy

that they let blacks and jews in either

[n2doc]

32. Haters gotta hate

Too bad for his kid. Maybe he will rebel and do the opposite of bigot dad when he gets bigger.

[Arkana]

34. That's unfortunate for those kids, but maybe now Boy Scouts

will be more enjoyable for kids who aren't assholes.

[valerief]

35. How many? 5 jerks? There will always be assclowns in every bunch. nt

[Tom Ripley]

37. Don't let the tent flap hit your ass on the way out!

[DFW]

38. The father made his son pay for his own bigotry

How low can one stoop?

[Brickbat]

39. Even sadder is the guy later in the story:

He said he talked to Cody before the vote – after it was announced in February – so it wouldn't be a one-time conversation.

“It was hard to explain to a 9-year-old the complexities of why I was telling him that we had to quit,” Miller said. “He told me, 'Daddy, it should be like church. Everybody should be welcome.'”

Miller said he then told Cody that the point of going to church is to seek forgiveness — not for being all-inclusive.

“I said, 'These people aren’t asking for your forgiveness,'” Miller, 51, told NBC News in a telephone interview. “What they're doing is saying, 'this is what I am and you have to accept me like I am. I'm not coming to try to change.'

Stay strong, Cody! Here's hoping you keep questioning and seeing through the lies.

[kimmylavin]

58. Wow.

I'm an atheist now, but I was raised Catholic.
And I never once thought the only point of going to church was to seek forgiveness.

Must have been the really nice priests always saying things like, "celebrate the mass," or (always my favorite part) when you turn to the stranger beside you and wish them peace.

What a sad, sad view this man has...

[KamaAina]

40. How many out gay Cub Scouts could there possibly be?

They go up to what, age 9?

What a maroon.

[olddad56]

41. Tear jerking story, are they going to move off of the planet next?

[KamaAina]

42. I'm sure the same thing happened when they integrated.

They have integrated, haven't they?

[lunasun]

43. purging thenselves out is a good move for the nonhaters left in the troop imo

[Orsino]

46. They can form the Confederate Scouts of America.

I'll bet some of them already have the belt buckles.

[Zoeisright]

50. And hoods.

[Zoeisright]

49. Thanks for outing yourselves as fucking

asshole bigots, Butler. You are teaching your little brat that hate is acceptable and that change is bad. Thanks for raising another racist idiot.

[SpankMe]

51. Not a lot is changing with this new BSA ruling

Gay kids have always been there, they've just been in pre-coming out mode. Since sex in any way, shape or form is not discussed in BSA, the main effect of the new rule is that as kids come out, they will no longer be kicked out or denied Eagle Scout status. Homosexuality - sexuality in any manner - will continue to NOT be discussed in scouting.

This does not open the floodgates to gay themes in Boy Scouts. There is nothing in Scouting that addresses romantic relationships or love or dating between boys and girls even. So it is tin foil hat paranoia to believe they'll suddenly start talking "teh ghey" from now on, and and it's gross overreaction and a crying shame to pull your kid from scouts just because of this ruling.

[WeRQ4U]

52. Funny, I was ready to leave the Scouts had they done the opposite...

...and while I'm still disappointed in their stance against gay and lesbian leaders, it's a step in the right direction.

[ZRT2209]

53. solong, asshole

[azurnoir]

54. if this guy is pulling his son out the scouts I must ask when is he leaving Minnesota?

if he wants to stay true to his 'convictions' he should be making plans to leave here too, after all we just made marriage legal for all in Minnesota a couple of weeks back, and I'm sure there are states that would suit his beliefs more

poor kid Roseau is way up in the Red River valley area and it's kind of isolated up there as it is

[ck4829]

57. Avoid the gays! Shun the gays! Distrust the gays!

[florida08]

59. will never understand

These anti Christ Christians. They pretend to live by faith but they want laws you know just in case. What kind of a faith is it when you don't believe in it enough to actually have to live by it?! The BSA may not be living up to the father's interpretation of the code but to say they are dishonorable has taught his son the wrong lesson. How many good kids have laid awake crying because they were told they were not good enough to be in the Scouts anyway. Good grief.

[sulphurdunn]

62. I sort of enjoyed

Cub Scouts. The neighborhood kids got together at each others houses and messed around. The mothers pretty much ran it. Boy Scouts gave me the opportunity to teach myself to swim. They also taught me that all animals are created equal but some are more equal than others. It was my first encounter with organized bigotry masquerading as patriotism. It was a painfully enlightening experience for an 11 year old. It shaped my future attitudes. I am grateful to scouting for that, although it was not the lesson it wished to impart.

[Ilsa]

68. Sounds like the BSA is about to become

a wonderfully inclusive group of young men. The organization will on,y grow stronger, especially after the hate mongers, bigots, and bullies are gone.

[blkmusclmachine]

70. Don't let the door hit ya on the way out.

[marshall]

71. The boys still pledge to be sexually abstinent

What more does he want?

[Ruby the Liberal]

73. May karma haunt him for the rest of his days

and may his son be protected from said karma long enough to learn right from wrong.